Just Acting
by Hazl
Summary: Bella had always hated and loved Edward Cullen. Edward Cullen had always loved himself. He's the world's greatest movie star, who left Phoenix years ago to move to LA. Senior year rolls around, and he comes back to town. What will happen now? Pairing B/E
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone, I'm Hazl. :) **

**I'm gonna give you just a little background information on me, if you want to know more...check out my profile!**

**I have been writing fan fiction for almost four years now. I started out writing High School Musical fan fiction on small forums and message boards. I graduated to about two years ago, but really didn't start writing on here until last summer. **

**I now mainly write in the Twilight world. I am 100% Team Edward. My second favorite Cullen guy is Carlisle..I have a huge crush on him...lol.**

**Some of you may or may not know me because of my story Medical Miracle. It was a story that I wrote about Carlisle and a character of my own creation. I recently just wrapped it up, and I plan on writing a sequel to it in the future.**

**I have had the idea for this story since this summer. Since then my sister and I have been talking out how we think it should go. I'm really excited to be putting this up!  
**

**Title-Just Acting  
**

**Genre-Romance/Humor  
**

**Rated-T-Just in case. There will be no major violence, no curse words, and only suggested/minor SC if any.****  
**

_Important info-Everyone in this story is all human, just because. For the record, in this story, Edward's biological parents are Carlisle and Esme. His biological siblings are Alice and Emmett. Jasper and Rose are biological siblings, but have totally different parents than Edward, Alice, and Emmett. They are in no way related to the Cullen family by blood. Bella lives in Phoenix with her mother and Phil, and has never moved to Forks to live with Charlie. Everyone will have **very** major tendencies of being out of character. Specifically Edward...haha.  
_

**Main parings-Edward/Rosalie, Edward/Bella, Alice/Jasper, and others.  
**

Full Summary-Bella had always known, hated, and loved Edward Cullen. Edward Cullen had always loved himself. Bella would admire Edward from afar, but when the two would talk, they weren't very friendly. They were constantly picking on one another, and Edward would never stop teasing her. But Bella still continued to love him. He had big dreams of some day becoming a major celebrity. Despite how much he was loved back at his school in Phoenix, no one thought he could do it. Until one audition led him to the path of major stardom, and Rosalie Hale. Soon Edward Cullen became the hottest name in Hollywood. More movie deals came, a TV series, and of course...a lovely girlfriend in the form of the world's most famous female teen sensation, Rosalie Hale. He had it all by the time he turned sixteen. He cut off all connections to his previous life, eating up the world of fame. No one in Phoenix ever heard from him. So they watched his movies, his TV show, and of course the constant tabloids revolving around his relationship with Rosalie. Bella continued to have feelings for him, but her hate for him grew. Senior year rolls around, and Edward stops in...just to let everyone know he's coming back for his last year of school...to film a new reality show. He's more full of himself than ever, and tensions between Bella and him rise. Will the two of them ever get together, or will their completely different worlds separate them in the end?

**When this story ends, I'm more than likely putting a sequel up for it, cause there's only so much that I can fit into one story without making it boring. Also as a pre-warning...I tend to be slightly anti-Jacob at times, and I apologize for that...he shouldn't have a very large role in this story anyway.**

**Also...I accept anonymous reviews...so if you are reading my story, don't have an account, and you are wondering if you can review...by all means you can!**

**Thank you so much, and I hope you enjoy Just Acting!**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 1**

At six, he ruled the playground.

At ten, he ruled the school.

At twelve, he ruled the city.

At fourteen, he ruled the state.

At sixteen.....he ruled the world.

Edward Cullen. Less than four years ago you could ask a hundred people who he was, and maybe one person would know him, if you were lucky. Now if you asked a hundred people who he was, you would be lucky if one person _didn't_ know him.

Edward Cullen was a normal human being, just like the rest of us. Yet Edward Cullen had always been far from normal.

His father Carlisle Cullen, and his mother Esme, married right after high school. Shortly afterwords, they had their first son, Emmett. Why they had enough courage to have any kids after Emmett was beyond anyone's belief. But four years later Edward was born, making their happy little family four strong. Just a year later, they had their last child, a daughter named Alice.

The three kids grew up spoiled rotten. Carlisle and Esme had both come from very wealthy families, and Carlisle was a very successful doctor to boot. They grew up in a three-story mansion, wore designer clothes as infants, and had toys that were more expensive than some cars. Esme never did go to college to further her education, instead she stayed at home to take care of her three children. Even though she didn't try to play favorites, it still to this day is very obvious that Edward is his mommy's baby boy.

Esme never doubted how adorable her children were. When Edward was only three, and Alice was two, she would take them to photo shoots, and they became print models for various types of toddler clothing. Alice, even at such a young age, showed an incredible love for being photographed. Edward would soon fall in love with the camera himself, just not necessarily the camera that took pictures.

Far before Edward even starting attending preschool, he began to show an interest in the actors on television and in movies. He wanted to know more about what they did, and how to be like them. As a five-year-old, he knew the names of hundreds of actors, while other children only knew who Barney was. It was at this very young age that Edward started developing his passion for acting, and it hasn't left since.

In kindergarten he would walk around, talking about how he was going to be a big movie star someday. At the time, all of us really didn't care...since some girls thought they were going to grow up to become princesses and fairies, while some boys wanted to become superheros and Power Rangers.

But his mother didn't doubt her son's talent at all. She continued taking him to his photo shoots, but she would also take him to various auditions. Every now and then, Edward would get a part in a commercial, or a small part as someone's kid or little brother in a TV show, but never anything big.

As he grew older and went into junior high school, it was like suddenly every girl in the city of Phoenix was attracted to him. He had always been a cute kid, but the older he got, the more attractive he became.

Edward was tall, about 6'2 by the time he finished growing. He had pale skin, and an unbelievably clear complexion. His eyes were a bright, piercing green color, and you could get lost in them almost instantly. He had a smile that could light up any room within mere seconds. And his hair was a very unique bronze color. He usually left it messy and tousled about, and people usually described it as "sex hair." Which I wouldn't doubt at all.

His personality was almost as attractive as his appearance. He was sweet, caring, and very, very charming. Concerning girls, he was a total romantic. He also had an amazingly incredible sense of humor. He was the smartest kid in our class, and if he wasn't so dead set on becoming an actor, we all knew he'd make a very good doctor someday.

But Edward Cullen had one personality trait that could possibly be defined as his only flaw. He was so far _beyond_ full of himself it was insane.

I don't think anyone in their lifetime has ever known anyone with as large of an ego as Edward. He's perfect, and he knows it. He's constantly checking himself out in mirrors, and he talks about himself **all the time**. He might as well marry himself...that's how in love he is with himself.

Despite his "celebrity" ego, he became the most popular guy in school within seconds, which no one was surprised by at all. He developed a large group of friends over a very short amount of time. He mostly hung out with the jocks, which was slightly odd since he didn't play any sports.

_Of course_, he also always had a girlfriend. Girls would fight to the death to be with him. However, he usually only dated the popular, cheerleader-like girls, as any guy with his social status would normally do.

Throughout junior high and into high school, Edward still continued to audition for various roles on television and in movies. Once during his eighth grade year, he nabbed a one-liner in a fairly successful movie. And in true Edward fashion, he made a huge deal out of it.

Edward still continued to preach that he was someday going to be the world's greatest movie star. His lifetime goal was to have the number one movie on the world blockbuster list. He never doubted that he would be able to accomplish this, but everyone else did.

You see, Edward was a good actor, a great actor at that. But all of us thought that he would never in a million years be able to make it in the business, let alone be as successful as he thought he would be.

We were wrong.

* * *

My name is Isabella Marie Swan, but I simply go by Bella.

I was born in the small town of Forks, Washington, to my mother Renee and my father Charlie. Just a year after I was born, my mom took me and ran off to her hometown of Phoenix. She just couldn't deal with Forks, and my father was unwilling to leave, so she left him. So Phoenix, Arizona is basically the only home I have ever known.

A few years ago my mother married her longtime boyfriend Phil, and he has taken me on as if I were his own daughter. Phil is a minor-league baseball player, and him and my mom sometimes have to travel around the country, leaving me home alone for several weeks at a time.

I still go back to Forks at least once every summer to see my dad Charlie. He never did remarry after my mom left him, so he lives alone in the same house him and my mom had lived in almost eighteen years ago. He's chief of police up there at their police department, and he seems content enough.

I love both of my parents a lot, but I'm obviously closer to my mom. I can tell her almost anything. She is always guaranteed to make me laugh with her childish personality. Thank goodness we got Phil...because when I move out to go to college, I have no idea how my mom would be able to take care of herself without him.

I'm your average girl-next-door. I'm not very tall...I'm about 5'4 in height, and weigh around 115 pounds. My body lacks any sort of muscular build. I have fair-colored skin, a rarity for someone who lives in Phoenix. My eyes are a dark chocolate brown, and my hair matches my eyes in color. My hair just sort of hangs there and doesn't do anything special. I'm not really much of a girly-girl....the color pink scares me. I'm sort of a tom-boy. I am fully content to wear a pair of comfortable jeans, a plain-colored t-shirt, and a pair of sneakers. I'm nothing amazing to look at, and I'm certainly no where close to being classified as beautiful.

I've always been fairly independent. I don't let very many people get too close to me. I only share my deepest secrets with my closest friends and family members. I like to spend time alone and just think to myself sometimes. I guess you could say I'm fairly intelligent...I normally get good grades at school. My sense of humor sucks, I don't know how I ever manage to make people laugh at my jokes. I'm generally kind of quiet and shy, unless I know you really well...then I'll never shut up. I have a sort of goofy and random personality, which is brought out the most when I'm around my friends or my mom. I don't really like to butter things up, I just tell it as it is. I have no sense of coordination what so ever, and I wouldn't doubt it if I was the clumsiest person in the whole world. Because of this, sports are not my friend, so I tend to involve myself in safer activities, such as the school newspaper staff.

I never have been incredibly popular in school. Sure people like me, but I don't have a huge group of friends. I always figured it was because I wasn't in any kind of a sport, or because I don't really seem very outgoing to most people. That's really fine with me. I'm perfectly content to just have a few close friends, rather than a bunch of friends who aren't really my friends to begin with.

I have had two best friends throughout my whole lifetime. The first one is Natasha Myers. She's the only child of a very rich lawyer and his wife. So she has always been spoiled. She has amazing clothes, an expensive car, and her house is huge. As if that wasn't enough...she's also incredibly beautiful. She's fairly tall, about 5'7, and she's super, super skinny and very athletic. She has long, shiny, straight blond hair that looks amazing whether it's up or down, straight or curly. She has perfectly tanned skin, and her complexion is almost crystal clear. Her eyes are a bright, light blue color, and she has perfectly straight teeth. She's head cheerleader, captain of the girl's soccer team, and captain of the volleyball team. But she is not your average jock/cheerleader girl. Natasha is also _super_ smart, yet she is also a total blond, and has no common sense at all. She's all for school spirit, and she's been our class president since who knows when. She's certainly the most popular girl in the school, just because everyone knows who she is, but she really only has a few close friends. She's also quite artistically talented, which helps her out a lot when making "spirit signs" as she says. She doesn't run around and date every person on the football team...mostly because she has a list of qualities that she wants in a guy, and she won't accept anyone that doesn't completely fit the list. She will date though, but she always ends up dumping her boyfriends because they cheat on her, since she won't sleep with them. Natasha is a proud vegetarian, and has been since she was five years old. She is able to start a debate about anything, and she is also able to talk for hours about anything. She tends to get just a _little_ annoying sometimes because of this.

But Natasha means well. She's a really sweet and caring girl. She volunteers a lot, and is always there for you when you need her. She has big plans of going to Harvard to study law, and we all know she can get there.

My best friend in the whole world is Haley Swing. I swear we were separated at birth or something, even though we look nothing alike. Haley is also an only child, and I think her parents are very thankful for that. Haley is about an inch shorter than me, and is similar to me in weight and build as well. Her blond hair has always been done in a straight bob, but she'll scrunch it on rare occasions. She has a medium skin tone, somewhere between mine and Natasha's. She always has had a little bit of trouble with acne over the years, but it's been getting better as she's gotten older. She has bright green "cat eyes", and her teeth are now straight thanks to the braces she had in elementary school. Socially, Haley would be defined as the class weirdo. She's insanely hyper, random, and her voice is very loud. She likes to dress in crazy outfits, and play with different types of makeup. She's a total goofball, and I don't think she even knows how to begin to be serious. Haley's also not that bright, she has no book smarts, or common sense, but she defiantly has more common sense than Natasha. Haley is famous for her "dumb moments". She has an obsession with sugary foods, and more specifically Mt. Dew. She isn't necessarily clumsy like me, but she doesn't really have any athletic talent. So Haley turns to the art club and home economics classes for self-expression. She also joined the Spanish club, and she isn't even in Spanish class. All she knows how to say is "Si" and she knows that "Queso", means cheese. Natasha and I are Haley's only true friends, even though Haley thinks she's friends with a lot of other people, but those people really just think she's weird. I don't blame them at all. Haley's dated before, and she even "has" a boyfriend right now. The only problem about that is that Haley only thinks she has a boyfriend. You see, sophomore year she was dating this guy named Rick, but he moved away last year and hasn't made contact with her since. I don't think she's caught on yet. So we just let her go ahead and think what she wants.

Haley loves fashion, and she plans on someday becoming a fashion designer. She hopes to open boutiques in large cities such as New York and LA. She has a very unique design style, but it may be just enough to make her excel in the fashion industry. Her favorite fashion accessory? Feathers. If Haley is not wearing an outfit with feathers on it somewhere...something is terribly wrong.

I tell Haley everything...she is the only person that I am able to open up to about my thoughts and feelings completely. She knows me better than anyone else in the whole world.

Why someone like me ended up becoming best friends with someone like Haley is beyond my comprehension.

As for me and dating...we don't really mix. I've dated a few guys throughout my lifetime, but it's never been anything that's lasted past a second date. Truthfully...I haven't even been kissed before. However, that's because of my regulations. You see, a long time ago I made up two rules concerning my first kiss. One, it had to mean something to me. Two, it had to mean something to the person I would be kissing. I just haven't found a person that has fit both of the regulations yet. No one here really wants to be with me anyway, and in truth...I don't want to be with any of them.

There is one other "friend" I guess that I forgot to describe. But you see he's not really my friend, more like my enemy.

That would be Edward Cullen.

Edward and I never have got along very well. Our mothers were friends, so they introduced us at a very young age. I was obviously a very smart little girl, because I already was able to pick up on how much of a jerk Edward was. He never seemed to take much of a liking to me either, because after that first meeting, it's like we declared war amongst each other.

As little kids he was mainly the one that did the teasing. He would pull my hair, eat my snack, knock over my block tower, and tell me I smelled like a dirty dog. Sure this doesn't seem too tragic, but as a little kid, it hurt me very much. As I got older, I started to learn how to fight back. I'd chase him at recess, stick my tongue out at him, and stick gum on his chair. This was far before we knew about curse words and real insults, but those came about soon enough.

Once we got into junior high, the teasing got worse. That's when we started insulting one another verbally, more often than physically. At this point in time it didn't really bother me anymore. In fact if I hadn't had the opportunity to pick on him one day, I'd go home feeling very upset. I craved making fun of Edward, and oddly enough I also craved him making fun of me.

As we got into high school, however, the real war began. Why becoming just a few years older helps you out in the action of picking on someone is unknown to me, but things certainly got more interesting. I don't think we were ever able to have a totally positive conversation with one another. We sort of went through stages with our insults. We'd start out in the burning stage, which is when we'd just start verbally "burning" one another back and forth. Next came the teasing stage, where we just kind of picked on one another. Last was the neutral stage where we were just kinda calm, and could maybe talk for five minutes before one of us had some sort of smart-mouthed comment to the other.

Why Edward Cullen had such a fascination with picking on me...I didn't know. He almost seemed to spend more time with me than with any of his other friends, and even his girlfriend at times. It's like he too almost craved making fun of me. I can't say that his teasing didn't bother me, or hurt me sometimes, trust me it did....but I wasn't horribly affected by it.

But despite how little or how much our feud truly bothered me, I had an intense and burning dislike for him.

No other person in the whole world made me as mad as Edward Cullen. I don't know what it was about him that made me despise him so much...but I did. I guess I felt like I was the only person that recognized the fact that he was a spoiled rotten, snooty, jerkish, egotistical, self-centered moron. I saw beyond his perfect cover and seemed to be the only person who saw that Edward Cullen wasn't as amazing as everyone thought. My hatred for him had seemed to grow even more recently, and I fully knew why.

However, don't let me fool you. I may not hate anyone else in the world more than Edward Cullen, but I also could never care about anyone else in the world more than him.

I am, and have been head-over-heels for Edward Cullen, just like every other person of the female gender in the world.

I can't ever remember a time when I didn't have a crush on him. I remember liking him in preschool, and my feelings have never changed since. If anything...they've gotten stronger.

That's why I've truly never been kissed before, it's because I've been hung up on him for the past thirteen years of my life, when nothing is ever going to happen between us, ever.

And how do I know this?

Basically it's the definition of impossible.

* * *

Two years ago, at the very beginning of my sophomore year, I finished paying for my lunch, and was slowly making my way over to my table, where Haley and Natasha were already sitting. I had ordered a slice of cheese pizza, an apple, and a bottle of water. We weren't allowed to eat anything with meat around Natasha. I laughed quietly to myself as I saw Haley furiously stabbing at her salad.

Brandon, Edward's best friend at the time, quickly darted past me to sit at a table two down from ours with some of his friends. Edward hadn't joined them yet, which was quite unusual.

I sat down in my usual seat beside Haley, and smiled across the table at Natasha, who was munching on some celery sticks as she read over her history essay for the fifty thousandth time.

I decided it was best to leave her alone for the time being, and I turned to Haley for conversation. That day she had decided to wear a hot pink t-shirt, and matching skirt, add twenty strands of different colored beads, and delicately place her feather headpiece on top of her scrunched bob. We started talking about the same history essay that Natasha was reading over, only Haley and I had decided to procrastinate and not work on it until Thursday night, since it was due Friday morning.

Edward suddenly caught my attention as he walked into the cafeteria, smiling at all the girls he passed. When I caught his eye, instead of smiling, he just laughed. I opened my mouth in semi-fake disgust, and flipped him off behind my back. I could hear him laughing across the room in response, but I knew he was too much of a goody-too-shoe to flip me off in return.

A few minutes later, as I was in the middle of plucking feather pieces off of Haley's back, Edward's voice broke through the crowd.

"Everybody." He said, as we all turned to face him, seeing that he was standing on a table located in the direct center of the room. True Edward fashion, he just had to make a scene.

"What do you want Cullen?" One of his friends, named Denver shouted out too him.

Edward merely smiled. "I have an announcement to make." He said, looking quite proud of himself.

"Get on with it then." I said, offering him a sarcastic smile.

He grinned. "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, my fellow classmates..."

"Does he always have to take forever to get to the point?" Haley whispered to me.

I nodded. "He likes to hear himself talk."

"I am very proud to announce that I, Edward Anthony Cullen, landed the role in what is predicted to be this year's biggest blockbuster movie."

Everyone didn't really respond, knowing that Edward was probably either doing this for attention, or he was simply over exaggerating how huge this movie really was.

"The lead role." He said, sticking his hands in his jean pockets and looking around.

This caused everyone to respond with a little bit of shock. Edward had never gotten a lead role before. People all throughout the cafeteria started talking all at once, while I starred ahead in disbelief.

"And...and..." Edward said, causing the room to reach a complete level of quiet almost instantly. "I will be starring alongside the lovely, the talented, the beautiful, the amazing..."

"Lassie?" I said jokingly, causing a few people to laugh in response.

"No...not Lassie. Rosalie Hale." He said.

All of the guys in the room stood up and started woo-hooing and cheering for him.

So maybe Edward wasn't over exaggerating after all. Rosalie Hale was the world's most famous teen sensation. She was the exact definition of beauty. She was tall, and fair-skinned, her teeth were perfect, she had long, wavy blond hair, and bright blue eyes. Her twin brother Jasper Hale looked exactly like her, just in guy form. However as beautiful as she was on the outside, Rosalie was ugly on the inside. She too was full of herself, spoiled, and she frequently cheated on her boyfriends. As many people as there were that loved her, there was just as many that hated her. But she was without a doubt a talented actress.

"I leave for LA tonight." Edward said, with a smile on his face.

These five words hurt me far worse than any other words he had ever spoke before. Because I knew if he went to LA and actually did do a decent job in this movie, that he would never come back.

The room burst into complete chaos after that. Edward shrugged, and jumped down off of the table he had been standing on. He high-fived a few of his friends as he walked by their table, and proceeded to walk in our direction.

I didn't want to look at him at all, but I turned around to look at him anyway. When I did, he was standing right behind me, with a very soft smile on his face.

"What do you want?" I asked him. As soon as I spoke, the whole room instantly grew quiet once again. It made me feel very uncomfortable.

He didn't say anything, instead he reached forward and picked up my napkin.

"What are you doing?" I asked him in disgust.

He held up a finger as if to tell me to wait, as he took a Sharpie marker out of his right jean pocket. He took off the cap, and wrote something on the napkin with a flourish, before re-capping the marker and handing the napkin back to me.

I looked down at the napkin and saw that he had wrote his name in a fine, yet semi-messy script.

"What is this for?" I asked him, looking up to him for an explanation.

He merely grinned. "Keep it. It might be worth something someday." And with that he left the room in a flourish, and no one in Phoenix, Arizona has seen him since.

Well, that is, unless they've been to a movie theater.

**

* * *

**

**So what do you guys think? Please shoot me a review if you have some time! I'd greatly appreciate it! Thank you so much for reading...I hope you enjoyed it!**

**~Hazl~  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Guys I was so beyond excited to see the overwhelming response to the first chapter of this story! Thank you all so much!**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 2**

Edward became the world's greatest movie star almost overnight.

As he was filming his movie with Rosalie during the first few months of fall, he was defiantly a figure of interest to the public eye. Everyone throughout the world wondered how this unknown guy from Phoenix, Arizona was going to do in a movie with _Rosalie Hale_.

Some critics thought he seemed promising, while others doubted he had that much talent. They figured he was simply cast because of his "pretty face"...which in truth, made sense.

Everyone back at our school was kinda depressed at first when Edward left. It was kind of like a pack of wolves loosing their alpha male. We honestly didn't know how to function without him.

_I_ certainly didn't know how to function without him. Here, the guy I had adored for basically my whole life was off in LA, and how was I supposed to know if he'd ever come back?

I secretly wished the movie would bomb big time, so that way he wouldn't stay in California, and he would come back. But the other part of me told me that was wrong to think, so I also wished the movie would do wonders.

Edward's leaving had given me one other emotion besides sadness. I was almost angry at him for leaving. And I wasn't the only one, a lot of his friends became mad at him for leaving after the initial shock died down. Each and every day, even though I wasn't around him, my hate for him still continued to grow because of this.

The movie was set to premiere that March. Closer to premiere time, the buzz surrounding it was huge. Everyone kept marketing the movie as the Blockbuster of the decade, but no one believed it could be possible. Sure, Rosalie Hale was in it, but what about that Edward Cullen guy? He was new, he was a fresh face, he was unknown. How could he do any good?

Truthfully, even all of the people in Phoenix doubted Edward's abilities. Needless to say, basically everyone in the city ventured to a movie theater that night to see Love to Hate You, the title of the film.

I was one of these people. Haley, Natasha and I went to our local theater the night it premiered, expecting usual crowds and such. However, when we arrived, the line at the ticket window was at least fifty billion miles long.

And everyone came to see Love to Hate You.

After watching the movie, I could easily understand why. Rosalie, of course, was amazing at her part, but Edward was _phenomenal_. I had always known he was a good actor, but never knew he was that good of an actor. He made his character so believable and so real. He connected with Rosalie perfectly, and effectively conveyed the message of the movie. The movie in itself was hysterical, and even though it made me very angry, Edward and Rosalie had good chemistry.

The movie had your basic traditional plot. Edward's character Matt, and Rosalie's character Claire...were high school seniors who hated each other. But at the same time, the two of them were deeply in love. They hide it from everyone except their close friends, by playing pranks on one another, and basically treating one another like crap. Eventually at the end, Matt finally confesses his love for Claire, before the two of them kiss and live happily ever after.

I know it doesn't necessarily sound like a fantastic movie from that short description, but it was. The humor, romance, and the connection to real life is what made it a lot different than your traditional high school based romantic comedy.

There was one particular line in the movie, that Matt says to Claire right towards the very end, when he is confessing his true feelings for her. It is..."Claire, I always have hated you. But I always have, and always will, be totally in love with you."

And I swear, every time anyone hears Edward say this line, girls around the world scream, faint, and majorly freak out. It has become "The Line". Edward is almost always guaranteed to be asked to say the line when a fan sees him out in public. He of course doesn't care.

The world instantly fell head over heels for Edward Cullen, just like I had so long ago.

In its opening weekend, Love to Hate You soared up the blockbuster list, taking the number two worldwide highest selling movie at the box office.

It's a position which it still remains in today.

And because of this, Edward Cullen became the world's greatest movie star...and still is.

Just like he always said he would be.

* * *

Being a movie star fit Edward so well. Some celebrities get sick of the fame, the paparazzi, and the fans...but not Edward...he _loves_ it. He'd be more upset if he wasn't getting as much attention as he does.

He also instantly ate up the lifestyle, buying a multi-million dollar mansion and several expensive cars for members of his family. He got the lead role in an award-winning TV show, and has also been in many other successful movies since Love to Hate You premiered.

But what seems to have received even more attention than any of his works, is his relationship with Rosalie.

Shortly after the premiere of Love to Hate you, everyone questioned the status of their relationship. At first they both denied anything was going on, but the public wasn't convinced. Every time there would be a picture of the two of them so much as shopping together it caused instant gossip. Some fans went insane after seeing a picture of Edward and Rosalie on a picnic in a local park, with Edward's sister Alice and Rosalie's brother Jasper, who were known to be dating at the time. Never once did a picture surface of Edward and Rosalie engaging in any kind of public affection. However, it was very obvious that something was going on.

Finally, about six months after Love to Hate you premiered, Rosalie admitted in an interview that her and Edward had been dating since last December, the month they wrapped up filming. A few days later, Edward confirmed this in another interview.

Ha, you thought I was mad before, you should have seen how happy I was after that. But I only got even more aggravated.

Less than a month later, rumors surfaced that Rosalie had been seen going into one of her co-star's houses, really late at night. No one had any proof, until a picture surfaced of her walking in the front entrance of his house. Another picture surfaced hours later of her leaving the same house the next morning, but she hadn't changed her clothes.

Rosalie of course denied anything happened, but when Edward was questioned about it in an interview, he seemed troubled. The situation slowly died down, only to fire back up a week later when a picture of Rosalie basically making out with one of her guy friends surfaced on the Internet.

This was later confirmed as true through the friend she was kissing in the picture.

But what really made me mad is Edward did nothing about it. He still stayed with her.

This pattern continued for ages. Rosalie would get photographed doing something with a guy that wasn't Edward, Rosalie would deny it, and even though it was so obviously true, Edward didn't care.

That December, on the day of their one year anniversary, Edward took Rosalie out to dinner. After they ordered their meal, Rosalie excused herself to the bathroom. After almost twenty minutes passed, Edward wondered if she was ok, and decided to check on her. When he knocked on the bathroom door and called her name, no one answered. He sent a waitress in there to look for Rosalie, but she wasn't there. Edward went out to the parking lot, worried sick that something happened to her. There he found Rosalie making out with another one of her co-stars in his car.

Since he had actually witnessed it himself, Edward broke up with Rosalie after that. The two of them were apart for about two months. Rosalie dated about four others guys in that short time span, while Edward just decided to live the single life for the time being.

Shortly before Valentine's Day, Rosalie came crawling back to Edward, begging him for a second chance. And this really made me mad......

He took her back.

Twice more they went through this process in the months through March and May. Edward would somehow find out Rosalie cheated on him, he'd dump her, she'd come back to him, he'd take her back.

The world was really starting to dislike Rosalie. More people had grown to love Edward, and the fact that she was hurting him didn't appeal to the fans. She lost a large following throughout this whole time period.

Finally in June, came Rosalie's ultimate betrayal.

Edward stopped by the mansion that Rosalie and Jasper shared, not even to talk to Rosalie. Him and Jasper were planning on playing video games all night, and calling Emmett over to join them when he got done hitting the clubs. As Jasper was setting up the game, Edward asked him where Rosalie was, and Jasper told him that she had told him two hours ago she was going to her room, and not to bother her.

Edward got a bad feeling about this, so he went to Rosalie's room and knocked on the door. He got no response. Knowing something wasn't quite right, he opened the door and caught Rosalie in bed with yet another one of her co-stars.

Rosalie tried to explain, but Edward wouldn't take it. He broke up with her and didn't talk to her for weeks.

I was _finally_ proud of him. I was so glad he saw her true nature, and it looked like he wasn't going to deal with her anymore.

Looked like it.

Until he freaking took her back again towards the end of July.

Since then, Rosalie seems to have been true to Edward.

Of course, she is an actress

* * *

Happy freaking birthday to me.

September 13th. Just an ordinary day to the rest of the world. And even though it was my birthday, it was still an ordinary day to me.

I had just started my senior year of high school, and I was turning eighteen years old.

I wasn't planning on doing anything special. My mom and Phil were on a two week-long cruise in the Caribbean, so I was left home alone. I was going to Natasha's house later that evening to have cupcakes with her and Haley, but besides that and the assembly at school during last period, I wasn't getting much for my birthday.

Well, except maybe a whole bunch of homework. It seemed like every teacher in the school knew that it was my birthday, so that was the day they decided to assign essays longer than the dictionary that were due the next day. I told Natasha to start a debate with our Science teacher about not having as much homework since it was my birthday. She thought about it, but decided not to.

The one time Natasha turns down a debate, and it has to hurt me.

By the end of the day, I was ready for the assembly so that way I had time to clear my mind. I knew it was going to be something boring, so I brought my notebook along to doodle in.

As we walked into the gym where we were greeted with kids screaming, jumping around, and throwing paper airplanes at one another, Haley was talking about how she was so in love with this new idea she had for feather covered undergarments.

I pretended to listen to her as Natasha waved us towards our seats in the second row of bleachers. I took the seat in between the two of them, and still pretended to listen to Haley as she spoke.

While more kids piled into the gym, I opened up my notebook and started doodling on a blank page. I was so involved with my work that I almost didn't notice when the principal started speaking loudly into the mike.

"Ladies and gentlemen of Phoenix High, I have a few announcements for you this afternoon."

Students all around us groaned, while Natasha clapped with enthusiasm. Haley pulled the remains of her banana from lunch out of her purse and started eating it.

"First of all Miss Myers would like me to inform you all that the art club is planning on selling spirit wear, starting next week. If you want more information, please see her." He said, shifting his glasses back onto his nose. "Also, anyone interested in helping make signs to put around the school, please see Natasha Myers."

I laughed quietly to myself as the principal read off at least four more announcements that all somehow came back to Natasha. I flipped over to another clean page and started drawing a rose that was broke in half at the stem.

"In other news, we finally found an AP English teacher."

This announcement actually caught my attention. The old AP English teacher had resigned at the very end of the year the previous school year, leaving the administration with very little time to find a new one. I was scheduled to take AP English, but had been placed in study hall for the past few weeks due to the lack of a teacher.

"Any students in AP English can report to class tomorrow, last period."

Natasha cheered once more, causing some of the freshmen to look at her odd. Poor freshmen, they've never experienced a Natasha before.

Gosh wait till they get a load of Haley, who by the way was now taking apart her pen and playing with the little spring in it.

"That's enough for announcements." The principal said, folding up his papers and placing them in his pocket. "I'd now like you to turn your attention to our special guest for this afternoon."

More groans sounded throughout the room as I began drawing a heart with Edward and I's initials in it beside my broken "rose."

"I'm certain you guys will all enjoy what he has to say." The principal said, before stepping down from the podium.

"I'm so excited!" Natasha chimed. "Aren't you Bella?"

"Yep, so excited." I said, not taking my eyes off of my drawing.

"How about you Haley?" Natasha said.

"I think I'm gonna stop at the Dairy Queen after school." Haley responded.

"Obviously she didn't hear the question." Natasha said to me.

"Obviously." I replied, as I started to draw an elegant border around the page.

It seemed like everything happened at once. Natasha screamed "Oh my gosh!" at the top of her lungs and started squealing, Haley ranted off a few excited sounding profanities, and the whole room burst into one loud cheer. I had no idea what was going on, until I looked up and saw..._him_.

_Edward Cullen_ was in our gym.

Everyone around me was up on their feet, hooting like wild animals. I could easily understand their excitement. I blinked a few times myself, trying to determine if what I was seeing was real.

It was.

There he stood, behind the podium, wearing a gray dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and a pair of dark jeans. He was even more handsome than the movie screen depicted him to be, and he was standing right there, mere _yards_ away from me.

I couldn't believe he was there, in our school. Everyone here had figured he forgot about us, but I guess he didn't.

Once I was able to form a thought, it was _Shut your notebook!_ I quickly closed my notebook, praying Edward didn't see my little drawing.

Once I could form another thought, I looked at him and felt that same overwhelming feeling of hatered.

This was going to be interesting.

The crowd calmed down about, never, but Edward began to talk anyway.

"Hey guys." He said, with his dazzling smile that made me weak at the knees.

These two simple words caused more screaming.

"What's up?" He said, placing his hands in his jean pockets and looking around the gym.

More screams.

"Well guys, I got something to tell you."

"Get on with it Cullen!" Denver shouted from the crowd.

Edward laughed a little. "It's like I never left huh?" He asked the crowd.

Screams.

He seemed to be getting a kick out of this, because he laughed some more. "Well guys you're going to be real excited to hear that I, Edward Anthony Cullen, the world's greatest movie..."

"Well he still talks as much as he used to." Natasha said.

"If not more." I replied, not taking my eyes off of him.

"...star, and of course, boyfriend of Rosalie Hale..." He said, with a large grin.

The boys stood up and cheered loudly for him.

"...am going to be coming back here to Phoenix High School." He said looking around the room to see the crowd's reaction.

Once again the room burst into loud cheers and thunderous applause. I wasn't able to believe anything I was hearing.

"Now I'm only staying to finish out this year." He said. "I'll stay for a bit of the summer, but then I gotta go back to LA. I just thought I'd come back and experience my senior year of high school like everyone else."

Maybe my birthday wasn't going to be so bad after all.

"But hang on!" He said, with some excitement to his voice. "Since I am the world's biggest movie star, I can't just leave the limelight for a whole school year and do nothing." He said.

"Hmm...I think you could." I whispered to myself.

"So I am going to be filming a reality show while I'm here, and all of you, " He said, pointing at the crowd. "Could be in it."

After decades of screaming, the room kind of quieted down.

"Thanks for letting me take up your time." He said. "And I am looking forward to getting to spend my last year of high school with all of you. Don't you guys feel so lucky?" He said, grinning.

I rolled my eyes in disgust as the principal announced that we were all dismissed. Edward turned to talk to him as kids started bouncing out of the gym.

I looked to my left and noticed Natasha was gone, and I saw that she was already hopping out of the gym with everyone else. I looked to my left and noticed Haley was gone as well. But I corrected myself as I saw her laying in the bleachers, looking as though she was asleep.

"Haley." I said, gently shaking her to see if she would wake up. She didn't, and I figured she was just messing with me.

"So who do you think he's gonna talk to first?" I heard one of the girls in my class say as she walked down the stairs past me.

"I dunno." Her friend said. "Maybe Brandon? They were friends weren't they?"

"Nah, he'll so talk to Denver, he's cooler than Brandon." I heard a male voice respond.

"Haley." I said, shaking her a little more urgently. Still nothing.

"Does he even remember any of our names?" I heard one really nerdy guy who had a crush on Natasha since eighth grade say.

"I don't think so." His friend responded. "Why would he? He's Edward Cullen."

"He may not remember you nerds." Another girl said.

"Haley Swing...wake up." I said, smacking her face a little.

"The first person he talks to will have to be without a doubt, Bella Swan." I heard another female voice say, which stopped my efforts in trying to wake Haley.

"Without a doubt." Another girl responded.

"Yeah, he's so talking to her first." The girl's boyfriend replied.

"Ditto." His friend called from behind him.

"Who will Edward Cullen talk to first?" A cheerleader from across the room said. "Oh Bella Swan hands down."

Suddenly it seemed like everyone else still in the gym was saying my name all at once. It was kind of intimidating.

"Haley!" I called a bit more urgently, shaking her more intensely this time. I swore I heard Edward laughing somewhere nearby.

"He's so gonna talk to Bella first." Another male voice said.

"Why does everyone assume that?" One girl asked.

"Dude, because everyone knows that's just how it's gonna be." He responded.

"Haley!" I yelled, smacking her over the head with my notebook.

She snorted and sat up instantly, looking right at me.

"Bella you moron! Why in the world did you hit me with your notebook?" She asked.

I laughed. "Good...you're alive."

"Yeah but now I have a freaking headache. Thanks to you."

"Great Haley."

"Why did you do that?" She moaned as she stood up.

"You were unconscious, did you want me to just leave you there?" I asked.

"Um...yea...no, actually I didn't."

"That's what I thought." I said, laughing at her as I handed her books to her. "Why did you pass out anyway?"

"All I remember is eating a banana, and Edward Cullen randomly showing up in our gym."

"I assume you fainted because of Edward?"

"Seems likely." She said as she followed me down the stairs. "Thanks for waking me up I guess."

"That's what friends are for." I replied as I mad my way towards the gym doors.

"Oh this is your pencil." Haley said, handing me a plain-looking number two pencil with a few teeth marks on it.

"Thanks girl." I said, examining the pencil to make sure it really was mine before I started chewing on it.

Suddenly I felt someone run into me, and I just thought it was Haley being dumb, but when I turned to my left to yell at her, I lost all train of thought, because there stood Edward, smiling at me.

"Ah Bella Swan." He said, offering me his dazzling smile. "I see you still chew on your pencils."

The few people still in the room stopped to stare at us while I kept on walking.

I didn't know how to respond to him. He was a movie star now, it wasn't like he was still the same guy that I picked on when we were little kids. Or was he? I wasn't sure. Besides, I wasn't even sure if I remembered how to be mean to him.

"Ah Edward Cullen. I see your still a jerk."

Oh, I guess I did remember.

He laughed. "So did you miss me?"

I laughed as well, only sarcastically. "Um, no...not really."

"Of course you did." He said, leaning against the doorway leading out of the gym.

"I would have to disagree with you." I said.

"Don't you always?" He asked.

"Of course."

He laughed. "You haven't changed a bit."

"You have." I said.

"Really, how so?"

"You became even more self-centered."

"I have reason to be." He said. "In case you haven't been up to date, I'm kinda the world's most famous person right now."

"Congratulations for you!" I said rolling my eyes. I also realized Haley was no longer anywhere to be found.

"It's kinda a big deal." He said.

I sighed in disgust and walked away, but I heard him following behind me.

"Come on Bella!" He called after me.

I turned around to look at him. "Yeah Edward?"

"You know you missed me." He said, running one hand through his messy, bronze hair.

"Edward Cullen, you lie." I said simply.

He laughed. "Oh Edward Cullen doesn't lie, Edward Cullen acts."

"Whatever the heck you do, you're still not telling the truth." I said with an evil grin as I stormed away from him.

"I missed you too!" I heard him call after me.

I shook my head in fake disgust until I knew I was out of his sight, and then I allowed myself to smile.

So Edward Cullen was back for senior year, he was filming a reality show, and he remembered _me_.

This was going to prove to be quite an interesting year.

**

* * *

**

**So what do you guys think? Please shoot me a review if you have some time! I'd greatly appreciate it! Thank you so much for reading...I hope you enjoyed it!**

**~Hazl~  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**I would like to issue a quick thank you to everyone who has followed this story so far! Thanks you guys!**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

I drove home from school with my mind full of thoughts about Edward. Not that my mind wasn't always filled with thoughts about Edward, but that's beside the point.

I just couldn't believe that he was really back in town. I swore that when I saw him leave the cafeteria on that one day over two years ago now, that I would never see him again. But there he was today, standing in our gym, letting us all know he was back for senior year.

And what I really couldn't believe is that he talked to me. He remembered who I was well enough to talk to me. Gosh he remembered who I was well enough to carry on a conversation with me as if he had never left. It all seemed so unreal.

As I got out of my truck and walked towards the front door, I was still thinking about everything that had just occurred. I couldn't believe that this was really happening to me.

I opened the front door and heard noise in the living room, which sounded like the TV. That kind of confused me, because I knew my mom and Phil weren't home, and I didn't remember watching TV that morning. I kicked off my shoes and put them in the hall closet with my school bag before I walked into the living room.

There sat Edward, flipping through TV channels with a stupid grin on his face.

"Edward?" I said, with my hands on my hips, defiantly sure I was dreaming now.

"Yes Bella?" He replied, not taking his eyes off of the TV.

"What the heck are you doing in my house?"

"Sitting on your couch, watching myself on TV, and man am I hot."

I groaned. "Not that kind of what the heck are you doing in my house."

"There's another kind?" He asked, looking up at me for the first time.

I snatched the remote out of his hand "Don't play dumb with me."

He merely laughed in response as I chucked the remote onto the coffee table.

"How did you get in here?" I asked him. "I locked the door."

"Yeah, I know where the key is." He said simply, as if it was nothing.

"No you don't." I said, walking into the kitchen.

I heard his footsteps behind me. "Uh, yeah...I do."

"How?"

"Seventh grade, your mom showed me where you guys kept the key in case I ever needed to get in the house for some reason." He said, with a smile on his face. "You guys have never moved it."

"Curse mom." I whispered under my breath, but he obviously heard me.

"Speaking of your mom, where is she?" He asked, taking a bag of chips out of one of the cupboards.

"What the heck are you doing?" I asked.

"Me?" He said, pointing at himself. "I'm eating your chips...what's it look like I'm doing?"

"How did you know where we kept our chips?"

"Bella do you recall any part of our childhood?" He said, placing the chips back in their respective place. "I was over at your house all the time."

"Against my own will." I said, looking through the fridge for something to eat.

"Sometimes against mine too." He pointed out. "I have no idea why our moms ever thought that we'd be able to get along."

"Our moms are just a little dumb." I said, warming up some leftover homemade macaroni and cheese.

"Your mom...maybe." He said with that stupid grin returning to his face again.

I smacked him, then laughed a little to myself. "Actually, you're probably right."

"As always." He said, leaning against the counter.

I took my supper out of the microwave. "Back to your original question, my mom and Phil went on vacation for a few weeks."

He nodded. "I see."

"Yeah, so...there ya have it."

He nodded again, looking around the room, before he reached in the cupboard beside him, taking out a package of cookies.

I sighed. "When do you leave again?"

"About a week after my birthday." He said, with his mouth full of cookies.

"When is that?" I asked him, even though I knew good and well when his birthday was.

"In June." He said, closing the cupboard door.

"Ugh, you're not leaving till June?" I said, pushing him out of my way so I could get the salt and pepper.

"Excuse you." He said, which received a dirty look from me in response. "Yeah, you get to be graced with my amazing presence until June."

"Amazing my butt." I said, moving away from him.

"Your butt isn't that amazing." He said.

I smacked him again. "Why are you looking?"

"Never said I was."

"It was implied."

"Bella, I'm a guy...I've checked out a lot of butts in my day."

"I'm sure you've checked out a lot more than that." I said with an evil grin on my face.

"Ha...we are um..." He said, looking slightly embarrassed. "Not gonna go there."

"Ok, whatever you say Mr. Movie Man." I said, laughing slightly.

I heard him open another drawer, and before I knew it he was taking a bite of my macaroni and cheese.

"What are you doing?" I asked him.

He ignored my question. "Your step-dad still makes great homemade mac and cheese." He said, taking another bite.

"Edward Freaking Cullen, this is my supper, get the freak away from me."

"Freak? Can we not use foul language in this house Miss Bella?"

"We most certainly can, would you like me to?"

"Have at it." He said, taking yet another bite of my mac and cheese.

"You are such a moron!" I said, trying to take his fork away from him.

"Hang on!" He said, yanking it away from me. "Give me like two seconds."

I groaned and finished off the last of my macaroni before putting my dishes in the sink. When I turned around to face Edward he was viciously licking his fork.

"Do I even need to ask?"

He didn't respond, he merely handed the fork to me.

"Put it in the sink." I said, trying to hand it back to him.

"If I were you, I wouldn't wash that." He said.

"What else would I do with it?"

"I dunno, keep it?" He said, acting as if I should know this.

"Why, so I can add it to my Edward shrine?"

"You have one of those? Me too!" He said.

"No, I don't..but I certainly wouldn't doubt it if you did."

"Nah, I don't." He said. "That's what the mirror is for."

"Seriously, why would I want to keep the fork that you licked?"

"That's enough reason right there isn't it?"

"Um, no." I said, not exactly seeing his point.

"Come on Bella! I thought you were smart."

"I am."

"You're not doing a very good job at verifying it."

"You're not doing a very good job at explaining why the heck I should keep this freaking fork!"

He laughed. "Bella, Bella, Bella. My dear sweet Bella."

"What the heck have you been smoking over there in LA?"

"Shush!" He said, with an edge of laughter to his voice. "Gosh I become a big time movie star and I suddenly must be on drugs?"

"Sounds like a good theory."

He shook his head. "Bella, how popular am I in the public eye?"

"A lot more popular than you should be." I said in response.

"Wouldn't you think that anything relating to me would sell for a lot of money?"

"Define relating to you."

"Say I..." He said, ripping a paper towel off of the dispenser. "Crinkled up this paper towel and then threw it away. Wouldn't someone want this paper towel?"

"Yeah." I said.

"And what would they want it for?"

"To recycle?" I said, but I saw his point now.

"Bella?" He said, obviously getting that I was kidding.

"To keep and treasure forever and ever!" I said, in a fan-girlish voice. I wasn't going to make too much fun of the situation though. I still had the napkin he gave me.

"Ok, or to do what with?"

"Wipe their butt?" I said.

He wasn't pleased with my response, but he still laughed anyway.

"To sell." I said, more serious this time.

"Yes." He said. "Finally. Now, anything with my saliva on it goes for real big bucks."

"Ew."

"Yes, ew...but so true. I seriously cannot throw a coffee cup away in public without someone diving in the trash can after it."

"Really?" I asked, of course I knew that if I didn't hate him so much, I'd probably do the same thing.

"Oh yeah, or when I'm in a restaurant, girls fight like crazy to get my straw, my silverware, my napkin, the table."

"The table?" I asked.

"It has been done." He said, pausing for a moment. "Three times actually."

"Oh gosh." I said, laying the fork on the counter. "You must hate that."

"No I love it!" He said with a smile on his face.

"Are you serious?" I asked. It was always hard to tell if Edward was telling the truth or not. It kinda goes with the whole best-actor-in-the-world title.

"Swear on my life." He said. "I'm dead serious."

"Well, you seem to value yourself pretty well, so I'll take your word for it."

"I love it that people are so obsessed with me."

"Thank you for now giving me the urge to break out into Mariah Carey."

"You're welcome." He said, with a smile on his face. "Nice girl, Mariah."

"You know her?" I asked.

"Bella, I'm Edward Cullen. I've had dinner three times in one week with Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp and I have played cards together, one of my sister's weekly shopping buddies is Vanessa Hudgens, and I am beyond tight with DiCaprio...of course I know Mariah Carey."

"You and Leonardo DiCaprio are tight?" I asked. "That's kinda ironic."

"Why do you say that?" He asked.

"Well cause you have the number two worldwide blockbuster and he has number one."

"Ah it's all good." He said, shrugging it off like it was nothing. "He knows he won't have that title much longer."

"You're a very bad friend." I said, laughing slightly.

He laughed as well. "He doesn't care. Well...actually he does. He curses at me about it all the time. He's just kidding though...I think."

"Get out of here." I said, pushing him towards the door. My mind had enough of Edward for the day. Well, at least the side of my mind that hated him.

"Awww....I have to leave so soon?"

"Not soon enough."

He laughed. "Why are you trying to rush me out of here?"

"I have to go to Natasha's at seven, and I'd like to have some time to unwind before then."

"Ah. Fine, I guess I'll let you make me leave."

"Good." I said, opening the door for him and stepping outside.

"Oh, and by the way....happy birthday." He said.

"How did you know it was my birthday?" I asked, quite surprised.

"Um, why wouldn't I?"

"You never acknowledged my birthday before."

"Doesn't mean I don't know when it is."

"How did you know?"

"Ok, so I heard it on the announcements."

"You weren't here for the announcements."

"I saw it on the sheet of paper that had the announcements."

"But they only let teachers and office aides see those." I said.

"Bella, seriously...they are gonna let _Edward Cullen_ see the announcements." He said as he leaned against his car. "That's how it goes."

"Well then you should bring them to me on mornings when I'm late because of my dumb truck." I said, pointing to my truck which was parked beside his shiny silver Volvo.

He laughed. "Wow, that's um..."

"Be nice."

"Pretty. What is it?"

"It's a 1953 Chevy Pickup Truck. My dad gave it to me. His best friend's son drove it down here for me."

"The one that had the crush on you?" He asked.

"The one that still does have a crush on me?" I said, laughing. "Yeah."

"Jacob right?" He said.

"Yeah." I replied, folding my arms across my chest. "How do you remember all this stuff?"

He took a deep breath. "Ah, I'm pretty much a big deal."

I laughed. "Well big deal, get out of here, I've had enough of you for today."

"You can never have enough of me Bella."

"I certainly can."

He laughed in response. "Goodbye Bella."

"Goodbye you jerk."

He smiled and sat in the driver's seat of his car, and I swore I heard him whisper, "Ha, if you were my girlfriend, I'd buy you a much nicer car."

As he drove away, I tried to determine if he really said what I thought he did. I decided I'd have to ask him about that tomorrow.

I walked back into the house with the mindset of working on my homework, but when I saw the fork setting on the counter, I decided to set up an account on E-bay instead.

I needed college tuition money.

* * *

I arrived at Natasha's a little before seven. When I arrived, Haley made sure to let me know that Natasha had decided to order pizza along with our cupcakes that she had baked.

"She really only wants pizza cause I told her the new pizza guy is hot." Haley said, playing with the fringes on one of the decorative pillows.

"Natasha, do you really think a pizza boy is gonna be Harvard material?" I asked.

She sighed. "No, not really...but it's worth a shot."

Just around that time, the doorbell rang.

"Aren't you dating Denver?" I called after her.

"Oh yeah. " She called back. "But he's kind of a jerk, he's not very smart, and all he ever eats is meat."

"You gonna dump him?" Haley asked.

"I'm not sure!" She called to us as she opened the door. We could hear her rambling off her list of qualities she liked in a potential boyfriend to the pizza guy.

"So Haley, you are never gonna guess who was in my house today, watching himself on TV."

"My uncle Fred?"

"No Haley, Edward." I said.

"Oh....because my uncle Fred was on the news for something."

"What?"

"He broke into a car or a house or something?" She said. "I dunno, he broke something."

I couldn't help but laugh.

"So what was sexy face doing in your house?" She asked.

"Sexy face?"

"What did you want me to say? Sexy butt?"

"I guess sexy face is better." I said.

"He does have one heck of a sexy butt though." She pointed out.

As if I didn't know this already. "Yes Haley, he does."

"Real heck of a sexy butt."

"Ok Haley."

"So sexy, it's sexy."

"You make zero sense."

"Your mom makes zero sense!" She spat back.

"How old are we, thirteen?"

"No, I'm seventeen, and you just turned eighteen today."

"Ugh, Haley, Edward was in my house when I got home from school today."

"No way!" She said, as if this was new information to her. "What was he doing there?"

"Getting on my nerves, that's what he was doing."

"Doesn't he always do that?"

"Yeah." I said. "But that wasn't all he was doing."

"Tell me everything." Haley said, her eyes growing wide. She kind of freaked me out.

"He was just there, being a moron as always. He was eating all of my snacks and kept taking bites of the mac and cheese I was eating. Then he told me to sell the fork he ate off of. I kicked him out after a while and he made fun of my car, wished me happy birthday, end of story."

"Bella this is huge!" She whispered so that Natasha couldn't hear. I knew she was too preoccupied in interviewing the pizza guy to care what was going on with us.

"How is this huge?"

"Bella...it was a big deal when Edward would pick on you and stuff in school, was it not?"

"Of course it was." I said, leaning back in the chair.

"And why was it such a big deal?"

"Because he was Edward Cullen."

"So think about this. Now, two years later, he still picks on you, he shows up at your house, and he remembers your birthday."

"Ok, Haley I'm not seeing your point."

"If him picking on you before was a big deal, this is a _huge_ deal!"

"Why?"

"Because now he's not just Edward Cullen, he's _Edward Cullen_. He's the most famous person in the world, and yet he still talks to you like he did before."

I wasn't able to understand how Haley could think so deeply about something so simple, and yet not be able to put her shoes on the right feet.

"When you talk to him, do you think of him as the world's greatest movie star, or do you think of him as the same old Edward?" She asked me.

"Well, both kind of, but I guess it really isn't any different. He's still the same person, just famous."

"Exactly." She said, smiling from ear to ear. "You should be stoked that he still remembers you."

"Why?"

"Hey, if he would have talked to me I know I would have been."

"I'm sure you would have Haley."

"I might have even peed myself."

"I wouldn't doubt it."

"So are you excited that Edward is treating you the same way as before?" She said a little quieter now, since we heard Natasha walk past the living room into the kitchen.

"Well yes, because it means he still knows I exist. But at the same time, no...because he ticks me off sometimes."

"Ah, look on the bright side of the situation."

"It's hard to at times."

"You just have to stop arguing with the two opposing sides of your mind. Let the part of your mind that loves Edward overtake the part that hates him with a burning passion."

"That may never happen, but thanks for the suggestion." I said as Natasha entered the room.

"Ok, here's our half cheese, half veggie-lovers pizza." She said, setting the pizza box on the coffee table. "I made vanilla cupcakes for myself, chocolate for Bella, and Funfetti for Haley."

"Yes!" Haley cheered.

"Haley...Funfetti...seriously?" I asked, taking a slice of pizza.

"Heck yeah!" She said, piling a thousand slices of cheese pizza onto her plate.

"So Natasha, how was the pizza guy?" I asked.

She sighed. "It isn't gonna work out between us."

"Aww, how come?"

"He isn't going to Harvard, he isn't a vegetarian, and he has terrible grammar."

"Isn't he hot though?" Haley asked as she was chewing on her pizza.

"Oh yeah, really hot." Natasha replied. "But looks aren't everything."

"Speaking of really hot people, Bella...tell Natasha who was laying on your couch when you got home."

Natasha offered me a very confused expression.

"First off, I'd like to let you know that Haley totally worded that phrase to make it sound like that." I said, before sighing. "Edward randomly decided to show up at my house today."

This received a high-pitched squeal from Natasha. "Bella you have to tell me everything!"

I preceded to tell her the whole story, detail for detail, since she wouldn't want me to leave anything out. By the time I finished, all of the pizza was gone, and Haley was starting to eat some of Natasha's cupcakes as well as her own.

"So you just kicked him out and that was that?" Natasha said.

"Yep, end of story."

"That was so dumb Bella. Gosh if he showed up at my house, I'd let him stay."

"Yeah well Natasha, you and I have different views on Edward. You think he's hot, I do not."

Haley laughed from where she was laying on the couch.

"Haley." I said with a bit of bite to my words.

"Ha ha." She said, ignoring my glare.

"Haley!" I said.

"What?" She asked. "I can't laugh because your sentence rhymed?"

"Haley you are a rare breed you know that?"

"Yep, my mother tells me that all the time. " She said.

I shook my head. "You weren't really laughing because my sentence rhymed were you?"

"I was at first, but then I got what you said, so I laughed because of that too."

"Am I missing something here?" Natasha asked.

I sighed.

"We should let her know Bella, she is our best friend."

I looked over at Natasha. I never had been quite sure why I never told her about my true feelings for Edward. Maybe it was because I figured she'd make a huge deal out of it, or she'd blab it to someone when she was on one of her talking sprees...which was all the time.

"What should I know?" Natasha asked.

I sighed again. "Natasha, Haley is trying to tell me that I should inform you of my crush on Edward."

I then told her the whole long story of how I had liked him since what seemed like the beginning of my existence.

For at least five minutes Natasha starred straight ahead, not moving an inch. And then she burst into another high-pitched squeal, which lasted for like....ever.

Once she shut up and started breathing normally again, she spoke. "Bella do you know how lucky you are?"

"What? How am I lucky?"

"Oh come on Bella!" She said smiling. "Edward is so in love with you."

This took me by surprise. "Natasha I think that someone put drugs in the cupcakes you ate."

"That be me." Haley said, taking me a bit by surprise, since I had kind of forgot that she was in the room.

"Think about it Bella." She said, walking over to sit on the arm of the chair I was in. "The way he acts around you, he's _so_ flirting."

"He's _so_ not." I said. "We're just teasing one another."

"Which is a way to flirt." She said. "It's obviously your way of flirting with him."

She made sense. Curse her for being so gosh darn intelligent.

"So, it doesn't mean he likes me."

"Everyone has always thought he does." She said.

"Amen to that sister!" Haley yelled.

We ignored her. "Seriously?"

"Bella do you not hear anything the people in this school talk about?" Natasha asked me. "You and Edward were such a common topic of conversation."

"We were?"

"Everyone thought he was deeply in love with you."

"They did?"

"I think they still do." She said, smiling.

"There's no way Natasha. He's dating _Rosalie Hale_."

"Doesn't mean he can't love you."

"No, it doesn't." I said, not really wanting to believe anything she was telling me. "But really Natasha, Edward Cullen...love _me_? That is something that would happen about never."

"Maybe before it would have been, but now....not so much."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Bella." She said. "You wasted the whole time we were in school up until our sophomore year feuding with Edward. You never really tried to get to know him for who he was, because even though you liked him, you still wanted to hate him. You wasted all of that time, and then he left. Once he went to LA, you're right, you never stood a chance of being with him."

I listened to her talk while Haley seemed to be snoring behind us.

"Now he's back. This is like your second chance. Your chance to do what you should have done when you first starting falling for him."

"And what is that?" I asked.

"Win his heart."

I sighed. "Natasha do you know how hard that's gonna be?"

"Hey, nothing good in life is ever going to come to you without you having to make a large effort towards it. And besides, it may be easier than you think." She smiled at me.

I shook my head. "Ok Natasha, whatever you say, but I think you're out of your mind."

"I may be." She said. "But if I were you I wouldn't give up this second chance, because you may not get a third." She said, gently tapping my shoulder. "I'm gonna get the other batch of cupcakes."

After she left the room I curled up tighter in the chair, starring at the ceiling, trying to think to myself about what she just said, and if it could actually be true.

Maybe she was right, but yet maybe she was wrong. I knew that the likelihood of Edward liking me in return was so extremely slim, especially since he was dating the world's most beautiful girl. Why would he ever want me? He hated me didn't he?

Of course I "hated" him, and that wasn't one hundred percent true. More like fifty percent true.

"Haley?" I asked, wondering if she was awake. "Do you really think Natasha is right?"

"Hmm?" She said in response, turning around to face me with sleepy eyes.

"Do you think Natasha is right?"

"I never did go to the Dairy Queen." She said before rolling over.

I sighed and got up to go tell Natasha goodbye. I knew it was time for me to go home and think.

As I was getting into my truck I heard my phone ring, and I dug through my bag in search of it. When I finally found it, I was shocked to find that the screen said I had a text from Edward. I opened it, kind of curious to see what it would say.

_Hey Bella...before you leave...could you get me a cupcake? I've missed Natasha's baking so much. ;)_

I looked across the street and noticed a silver Volvo parked beside one of the houses. I rolled my eyes and decided to text him back.

_You may have a lot of servants that do things for you in LA, but this isn't LA, and I'm not your servant, so get your own cupcake pretty boy! _

I hit send before I drove past the silver Volvo as quickly as possible, and I may have offered it an inappropriate hand gesture as well.

May have.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! If you guys like what you see (or don't...lol) please shoot me a review as you wish! Natasha will bake you yummy cupcakes if you do! Also, I'd like to have a little competition to see who will win Edward's fork on Bella's E-bay auction. What I'll do is when Bella mentions who wins the fork, I'll use your name as the winner. If you want to win Edward's fork and have your name in the story, I want you to try and convince me why you are worthy of Edward's saliva-covered fork. Please list your name for use in the review as well! Thanks for reading again!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

I was late to school the next day because my truck wouldn't start. I tried to make it work for at least thirty minutes until I decided to give up. Since I knew school had already started, I called Haley's mom and asked her if she would give me a ride. She was more than happy, and told me that she was planning on going into town anyway.

By the time I walked into the school the bell had just sounded to release the students into the hallways before second period. The secretary in the office didn't even ask me why I was late. No one ever counted me tardy to class because they knew my truck had problems.

I marched to my locker to drop off my coat and other belongings. When I turned around to put my backpack in my locker, I groaned....realizing it was still in my truck, which was obviously still at home. At least it didn't have anything I needed desperately, like my homework or anything, but my wallet was in there, along with my cell phone.

I slammed the locker door shut and made my way towards my second period class. Thinking about my phone had given me the idea to call Jake and see if he knew what was up with my truck.

When I walked into class Haley and Natasha greeted me with waves and friendly smiles. I took my seat beside them, only to have Edward walk in and take the empty seat in front of me. This continued every period up until lunch. For some reason I always seemed to have an empty seat around me, and Edward would always sit there. In third period he was making me so mad, I threw a pencil at him. He ducked in enough time and it ended up hitting Brandon instead. I whispered sorry to him and he waved it off like it was nothing. Edward merely laughed in response.

So at lunch I sat down and watched Haley and Natasha eat their lunch while I ate nothing.

"Bella why aren't you eating?" Haley asked me as she shoved her fifth brownie into her mouth.

"I left my wallet in my backpack, which is in my truck, which is at home." I replied, resting my head in my hands.

"Bella do you want me to give you some money to get something?" Natasha offered.

"No thanks Natasha." I said. "I can deal with it."

"You sure?"

"Not really, but yeah."

"Here Bella, take a brownie...it's good stuff." Haley said, handing me one of her brownies.

I laughed. "Thanks Haley."

"Don't mention it." She replied before she poked my arm. "Bella, look who is walking this way!"

I looked up in just enough time to see Edward sitting down in the seat beside Natasha, which was right across from me.

"Hey ladies." He said with a charming smile. "Mind if I sit here?"

"No."

"No."

"Yes."

"Looks like you're outnumbered." He said to me. "Two to one."

I groaned. "You guys I'm already having a bad day."

"Sorry." They chimed.

"Can't you go sit with your friends?" I asked him, motioning to the table two down from ours where his old friends still sat.

"Yeah, I don't exactly know what they think about me quite yet." He said, taking a bite out of his pizza.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Brandon specifically. He's acting sort of cold towards me. I'm just gonna play it cool for a while."

"So you sit with _us_?" I asked.

"Yeah, why not?"

"I could come up with a lot of reasons why not."

"I wouldn't really care, I'm still not moving."

"Ugh, Edward Cullen, you officially suck." I said.

"Ditto." He replied as he laughed a little to himself.

"You've only been here two days..." I said. "And you already have me on my last nerve."

"I feel so honored." He said, wiping his hands on his napkin. "Oh and here's this." He said, handing me a piece of paper.

"What is this?" I asked, looking at it.

"The announcements sheet. You told me to bring it to you when you were late."

"And you remembered?" I said in shock as I finished reading them over.

"I have a pretty good memory." He said before he threw down a ten dollar bill in front of me. "And eat some lunch already."

I looked up at him with no idea what to say. "How did you know I didn't have any money?"

"I'm pretty much a big deal." He said, leaning back in his chair.

"That's the second time I've heard you say that now. What is that...your catch phrase?" I asked.

"Not really, I'm just stating a fact." He said.

I pushed the money back towards him. "I don't want your stupid money."

"And I don't care. Eat some freaking lunch." He said, pushing the money back to me.

"Alright, alright. I'll go get some lunch. At least it gets me away from you."

"I'll be enjoying every minute of it!" He called to me as I got in line for lunch. I came back a few minutes later and literally threw the change at him before I sat down.

"It's a good thing those weren't coins." He said, picking the money up off the floor. "Do you know how many people would have hated you if you damaged my face?"

"I'd take them on, it would be worth it." I said, picking through my potatoes. "Besides, your face is damaged enough as it is, no one would know the difference."

"You go girl!" Haley cheered for me, as people's heads started to turn in our direction.

"I guess I could say the same for you...couldn't I?" He said, as a smile started to spread across his face.

It was very obvious that the guys at the table two down from us were listening now, as was most of the cafeteria.

"You could, but you wouldn't do that cause you're too much of a goody-too-shoe."

"Oh!" A few of the guys called. I couldn't help but laugh a little. Edward and I used to get in these burn wars all the time and everyone in the whole school seemed to love it.

"How am I too much of a goody-too-shoe?"

"You won't even flip me off. Come on! Grow a pair already!"

"Oooh!"

"I have a pair, thank you very much."

"I'm sure Rosalie would know...wouldn't she?"I asked.

"Ooooooh!!"

He looked defeated for a moment before he finally said something back. "Let's not bring Rose into this...ok?"

"By all means."

"If anyone here is the goody-to-shoe...that would be you Bella."

"Really, how so Edward?"

"Oh I dunno, maybe because you're eighteen years old and you've never been kissed before."

"Oooh!"

"Oh no he didn't!" Haley said, looking as though she was going to jump over the table and beat Edward up. Unfortunately Haley couldn't do that even if she really wanted to.

"At least I'm still a virgin!" I shouted back.

"Ooooh!"

"Oh and I'm _not_?" He asked.

"Um...yeah." I said, looking at him as if he should know this. Which I would _think_ he would know this.

He laughed a little. "I believe you're mistaken."

"I believe you're a moron." I said as I got up to dump my tray.

"You barely even ate!" He yelled after me.

"I don't wanna eat food I bought with your stupid freaking money!" I yelled in response. On my walk back to the table, I remembered that I wanted to ask him something, so I marched over to where he sat and gently smacked his arm.

"What now?" He asked.

"You. Me. Hallway. Now." I said simply. The guys at the table started whooping and making animal noises.

Edward laughed. "Ah really? You're that desperate?"

I smacked him again. "You are such a pervert....come on!" I said, dragging him out of his chair and into the hallway. As we were leaving the guys starting shouting calls of "You go Cullen!" and "Get you some!"

Once we were safely out in the hallway I threw him against the lockers.

"Hey, hey, hey...watch the merchandise." He said, brushing off his shoulder.

"I don't give a crap about the freaking merchandise." I said, putting my hands on my hips.

"Well let's make this quick ok? And please don't tell Rose, she might get a little mad if she finds out I'm fooling around with girls in the hallway at school." He said with that same stupid grin on his face.

"I'm not gonna have sex with you so you can just forget about it...ok? Save your fantasies for Rosalie."

He just laughed.

"Yesterday when you left my house and got in your car, what did you say?"

"Um...is this a trick question?" He asked.

"It shouldn't be. What did you say?"

"I said goodbye. I know that much."

"When you got in your car, did you say something like...if you were my girlfriend I'd get you a much nicer car?"

"I might have said something like it." He said. "But I didn't say exactly that."

"What did you say then?" I asked.

"I said that I got my girlfriend a much nicer car." He said as he shrugged his shoulders. "Why do you care?"

I wasn't sure he was telling me the complete truth, but it made sense, so I decided to let it slide. "I don't really. I was just wondering."

Just then the bell rang to dismiss students from lunch. "Well now you know." He said, and he smiled at me before he walked away. A few of his friends ran after him and started to ask him if I was any good. I shook my head in disgust and waited for Haley and Natasha before I prepared myself to face the rest of the day.

* * *

By the time last period AP English had rolled around, I was beyond sick of Edward. I was sick of him because he had every single class with me. I swear whoever set up his schedule must not like me at all.

But I was excited for English, not only because I figured Edward wouldn't be in that class, but because of our new teacher. I was excited to see who it was.

I walked into the English room and took my seat in front of Haley. She was busy drawing outfit designs in her notebook, and she didn't seem very aware of her surroundings. Not that Haley is ever aware of her surroundings.

My excitement soon faded as Edward walked into the room and sat down in the desk right in front of me. I groaned in disgust and turned around to face Haley.

"Hey Haley." I said to get her attention.

"Haley be my name. Wadda want?" She asked. I wondered how she ever managed to get in this class, she had terrible grammar.

I laughed. "Haley how did you ever manage to get in this class?"

She seemed like she was thinking about it. "Hmmm. I really don't know."

"I'm not saying you're too dumb for AP English, it just seems odd."

Edward laughed at me and I smacked him in return.

"Yeah, I have no idea how I got in here." She said as she erased a line of feathers on a skirt she was sketching.

"Can you do me I huge favor?" I asked.

"Depends on what it is. Like if you want be to help you fight off the evil pickles that are trying to take over the world, by all means, but if you want help folding Phil's underwear, count me out."

I wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. "It's neither one of those things."

She let out a sigh of relief. "Good cause I really didn't feel like folding Phil's underwear today. Maybe I'll change my mind tomorrow."

"Anyway...until I get my truck fixed or my mom and Phil come home, can you give me a ride to school in the mornings?"

"Sure...I'm down with that."

"Can you get me around seven thirty five?"

"Not a problem."

"You better write it down somewhere so that you'll remember it." Natasha told her, leaning forward so she could hear.

"I've got the perfect place." Haley responded.

"Where?" I asked.

"The bathroom mirror." She said, looking quite satisfied with herself.

"Haley the last time you wrote yourself a note on the bathroom mirror you still forgot what you had to do, and your mom was very mad at you."

"Yeah, permanent marker don't come off very well." She said, pausing for a moment before she spoke again. "Wasn't the note about something important too?"

"Yes, FEED THE HAMSTER!" I said, with an edge of laughter to my voice.

Haley seemed to remember now. "Oh yeah. Poor little Antonio, he never stood a chance."

"Haley had a hamster named Antonio?" Edward asked me, turning around in his seat.

"Yeah she got it at the very beginning of last year. She made a note to herself in permanent marker on the bathroom mirror to make sure she remembered to feed it, but she forgot and Antonio..."

"DIED!" Haley shouted really loud, causing everyone to look at her.

"Ok then." Edward said, turning back around to face the front of the room.

I focused my attention back on Haley. "Just remember to get me...ok?"

"Yep." She responded, and I could tell she was no longer really listening.

I heard someone walk through the door, and I turned around to notice our new AP English teacher.

"Hello class." She said in a very soft, sweet voice. "My name is Miss Lovely."

"Lovely is about right." Denver whispered.

"Denver, your girlfriend is sitting right here." Natasha said, pointing to herself. "It's kind of dumb to be checking out other girls out in front of her."

"Does it look like I care? No." He said.

Miss Lovely was _defiantly_ lovely. Denver was right on that one. She had shoulder-length blond hair, bright blue eyes, a clear complexion, and a charming smile. I could tell all of the boys in the class were very attracted to her. She seemed young, like she was in her early twenties or something.

"Before we start class, I'd like to get the chance to know all of you." She said. "We'll just go around the room here and you can tell me your name and some things you like or enjoy." She pointed to a girl sitting at the far end of the room. "We will start with you."

"I'm Autumn." The girl said. "I enjoy cheerleading and talking on the phone."

"Very nice, and you?" She asked the girl sitting behind her.

"I'm Jasmine and I enjoy cheerleading and talking on the phone." She said with a smile. "And she is my BFF." She said, pointing to Autumn.

"How nice." Miss Lovely responded. "And you young man?" She said, walking over to one of Edward's friends.

"I'm Kyle. I like sports, girls, TV, and you." He said, looking up at her.

"Aw, how sweet of you." She said with a soft smile before moving on to Denver. "And you are?"

"I'm Denver." He said. "I like sports, girls, and TV."

"I'm seeing a trend here." She said, walking over to Brandon. "How about you?"

"My name's Brandon." He said, looking around the room at everyone watching him. "Um, I like sports, girls, TV and Bell..." He paused. "Bells."

"Bells?" She asked. "Do you collect them or something?"

"Yep, I'm quite the avid bell collector."

Edward was laughing so hard he about peed himself. Everyone else was laughing pretty hard as well, since they knew that wasn't what Brandon meant to say.

"How about you young lady?" Miss Lovely asked Natasha.

"Oh gosh, this should take forever." Denver said, laying his head on his desk. Kyle followed suit.

"I'm Natasha. I like cheerleading, volleyball, soccer, debate, history class, learning, hanging out with my friends, animals..."

About ten minutes later she finally finished.

"Very nice Natasha." Miss Lovely said.

"You forgot talking." Denver mumbled.

"What was that Denver sweetie?" Natasha asked him.

"You forgot to list talking as one of your favorite things to do."

Natasha ignored him as Miss Lovely motioned to Haley. "And you are?"

"I be Haley." She said, causing Miss Lovely to wrinkle her nose at her grammar. "I like fashion, feathers, food, fun, and this girl right here." She said, pointing to me. "Her name doesn't start with an "f" though, so she kind of messed up my chain."

"Very nice." She said, smiling at me.

"I'm Bella." I responded, and I heard Edward laughing quietly to himself. "I like to read, write, hang out with my friends, and just relax at home."

"Good, good." She said before making her way to the front of the room and smiling at Edward. "I bet I can guess your name."

He smiled. "I bet you can."

"Yeah it's Mr. Ego." I said, and the class laughed.

He didn't seem to care about my little comment. "I'm Edward Cullen. I like acting, hanging out with my friends and family, watching myself on TV, watching myself in the movies...."

"Listening to yourself talk." I said, causing everyone else in the room to laugh once more.

"And checking myself out in the mirror." He finished.

"Very nice." Miss Lovely said. "Now I want you guys to give me your opinion on something here. Who do you think is the best writer in this class?" She pointed at Autumn. "You first."

"Well...I guess that would be Bella." She said.

"I agree, the best writer in this class is Bella." Jasmine added in.

"Ok, and what about you Kyle? Who do you think is the best writer in this class?"

Kyle snored in response, and Denver lifted his head up off his desk to see what was going on.

"Kyle, dude wake up...we have a game tonight and you can't be sleeping during it." Denver said before smacking Kyle across the face. Kyle awoke with a jolt.

"Huh?" He asked, barely lifting his head up off of the desk.

"Who do you think is the best writer in this class?" Miss Lovely repeated.

"Oh." Kyle said before he rested his head back on the desk. "That girl over there, Bella."

"Ok, and Denver...what do you have to say?"

"Bella."

"Brandon?"

"Bella. So Bella. Totally Bella. Without a doubt Bella. Surely..."

"Dude!" Denver yelled, turning around towards Brandon. "Shut your face."

Brandon said nothing in response.

"Thank you. Gosh." Denver said, before laying his head back down.

"Natasha?" Miss Lovely said, ignoring the interruption.

"Bella without a doubt. And if anyone would like to disagree with me, I open this discussion for debate."

"_Please_ no one disagree with her." Denver mumbled.

"Haley?" Miss Lovely asked.

"Bell to the a" She said.

"Bella?" She asked me with a smile.

"Gee, I dunno...maybe me?"

She then smiled at Edward. "And Edward."

"Cullen..." Denver said, raising his head to look at him. "Dude I know you hate her guts and all, but please be nice to her just this once so that way Natasha doesn't start a debate. Please dude. I'm _begging_ you."

Edward sighed. "That would be Bella."

"Thank you!" Denver called to the ceiling before returning his head to his desk.

"Alright, now who would you say is the worst writer in the class? Autumn?"

"Sorry, but that would be Edward." She said.

"Edward." Jasmine repeated.

"I'm just going to skip over Kyle." Miss Lovely said, motioning towards Denver. "What do you think Denver?"

"It's Cullen. He sucks." Was his response.

"Thanks dude, that really helps the ego." Edward joked.

"Your ego doesn't need any help." I said to him.

"Brandon...who would you say is the worst writer in the class?"

"Edward. So Edward. Totally Edward. Without a doubt Edward. Surely..."

"Gosh Brandon for the love of freaking Pete already!" Denver shouted. "Shut your freaking face."

"Alright." Miss Lovely said, motioning at Natasha.

"That would have to be Edward." She said, sounding sad to admit the fact.

"It be Edward." Haley responded before Miss Lovely even asked for her to talk. "He may be good looking, but he can't write worth a crap."

"Bella?" She asked. "Who do you think?"

Everyone was right. Edward was not a very good writer at all. He was smarter than any of us in the room, yet he could not write. He would always look at the general ideas I had in my papers and then twist them around a little to make them sound like his own. He was never able to write a story or an essay effectively, but he still passed the class. That's why I was unsure if he would be in AP English or not in the first place. I didn't know if his writing skills were strong enough.

"I'm going to go with everyone else on this one and say Edward is the worst writer in the class." I said.

"I'm actually quite surprised that this is the case." She said, looking at Edward. "Would you agree with everyone?"

He quickly glanced around the room before he nodded. "Yeah my writing kind of sucks."

"Well maybe we can change that by the end of the year." She said with a soft smile on her face before she started to write something on the board. The sentence read... _Something that makes me happy is...._

"Now class, I want you to take out your journals and write at least a page on something that makes you happy. It can be a person, place, or thing. Whatever you desire."

Everyone got to work quickly, except for Kyle, who was still asleep. After we finished Miss Lovely picked Natasha and Denver to go up and read their journals. I think Miss Lovely learned that when you say "Write a page" Natasha turns it into "Write six pages" and Denver turns "Write a page" into "Write a few sentences and then fill the rest of the paper with a bunch of crap."

After they finished reading she had us put our journals away. She starting cutting some pieces of paper into small, even strips.

"Haley." She called across the room. "May I see your hat for a minute?"

"Me hat?" She asked, pointing to her vibrant, purple, feather-covered fedora. "Sure, but I don't think it will fit you."

Miss Lovely laughed. "I don't want to wear it. I need it to put something in."

"Ok, as long as you don't put guacamole in it, I'm cool with that. That stuff is so hard to get out of hats."

"And you would know this why?" Edward asked as she walked back to her desk.

"It has been done." She said proudly before siting down.

Miss Lovely walked to the far end of the room and held Haley's fedora out to Autumn. "Now I want each one of you to draw a paper out of this hat. You can look at it, but don't show anyone else."

She slowly made her way around the room, and when she was done she returned to the front of the class after she returned Haley's hat. "Now I want you to tell me what you have on your paper. Autumn we'll start with you."

"A cupcake." She said as she examined her paper.

"I have a butterfly." Jasmine said with an excited tone to her voice.

"Denver...what does Kyle have?" Miss Lovely asked.

Denver leaned forward to look at Kyle's paper. "Snowflakes." He said as he looked at his own paper. He made a disgusted face as he read. "And I have bunnies."

Everyone laughed.

"How about you Brandon?"

"Puppies." He said, not sounding too happy.

"And what do you have Natasha?"

"A rainbow!" She cried excitedly.

"I has songbirds...this makes me happy." Haley said. "Me likes the birdies. They gots feathers."

"There were so many things wrong with that sentence...but good for you." Miss Lovely said before motioning to me.

"I have kittens." I said before laying my paper down on the desk.

"And Edward?"

"The sun." He said simply.

"Ok." Miss Lovely said, folding her arms behind her back. "Now all of these things you just named off are fairly happy, sweet, innocent sort of things...are they not?"

"I dunno, those bunnies can get pretty evil at times." Denver said.

Everyone laughed at his joke.

"So if you were to write something about them, your paper would have a very light, innocent, happy mood, correct?"

We all nodded our heads in response to her question.

"I want you guys to write a paper at least three pages long on your object. It will be due next Friday, and we will work on it in class. You can chose to make a story out of it, or describe your object, but you must keep the happy mood throughout your paper."

Just as she finished her sentence the bell rang, and everyone all jumped up at once.

"It was great getting to know all of you. I'll see you Monday." She said softly before organizing some papers on her desk.

Denver got up out of his seat with a sigh and kicked Kyle's desk. "Come on dude. Coach said the bus leaves at three thirty."

"Dang Colorado...what's your problem?" Kyle asked, yawning as he stood up. "You don't have to be so violent."

"I've never got why everyone calls Denver Colorado." Natasha said, looking at me for an explanation.

I couldn't believe how someone as smart as her could be so dumb at times. "Natasha, repeat the last part of your sentence."

"Why everyone calls Denver Colorado." She repeated.

"Shouldn't that answer your question?"

"It doesn't." She said.

She was having on of her classic blonde moments."What's the capital of Colorado Natasha?"

"Denver."

"What's Denver's name?"

"Denver...duh."

"So everyone calls Denver Colorado because Denver is the capital of Colorado...right?"

She processed this for a minute. "It's still not making sense to me."

I laughed. "Goodbye Natasha."

She shook her head to clear her confusion. "Bye Bella." She said, walking out of class with Denver and Kyle.

I turned around to ask Haley if she'd give me a ride home, but when I looked behind me, I noticed Haley was gone.

"Crap." I said, noticing Autumn and Jasmine were the only other people still around. I sighed in frustration and proceeded to walk out of the room, when I ran into Edward, who was holding his car keys and smiling at me.

"Just don't ruin my car...ok?" He said, leading me out of the classroom.

"How would I ruin your car?" I asked.

"Because of your ugliness."

"Well then it should already be ruined in that case, since _you_ drive it."

"Shut up virgin lips." He said, laughing at his own joke.

"Shut up crappy writer."

"Ya know." He said, turning to me with a devilish grin on his face. "I really don't like you."

"Tell me something I didn't already know." I said as he walked to the driver's side door.

"You." He said, pointing at me. "Are not going to talk for the whole ride to your house...got it?"

"Then you can't talk for the whole ride either."

"It's a deal." He said.

"Yeah...one that you are going to break."

"No, but if you break it there shall be consequences."

"Try me." I said, before getting in the passenger's seat.

"Oh I will." He said, taking a seat himself.

And as I looked out the window and saw Brandon giving Edward an evil glare as we drove away, I couldn't help but laugh hysterically.

* * *

**So how was that for an update? I was gonna post something Sunday night, but the site logged me out and I lost the whole second half of the chapter, so I had to retype it all. Anyways...what do you guys think of their English teacher Miss Lovely? And which one of Edward's friends interest you the most? Kyle, Denver, or Brandon? Thank you so much for reading, and please send me a review if you have time. I'll love you forever!**

**Thanks again!**

**~Hazl~**


	5. Chapter 5

**So what did you guys think of New Moon? I loved it! I just want to congratulate the cast, crew, and Stephenie for the overwhelming success that New Moon has achieved!**

**I want thank you guys for your wonderful reviews you left for the last chapter! I smiled the whole time I was reading them. It really encourages me to be a better writer and put something good out here for you guys when I see such awesome reviews! I'm actually kind of surprised that you guys find my story funny. I always thought I had a dumb sense of humor that was sort of childish, since I don't curse and stuff (which I even find curse words funny..lol). So when I chuck a whole bunch of random stuff that I think is funny into a chapter and you guys actually said that you laughed at it, that makes me feel fantastic. Denver wasn't going to be as big of a character as he is now, he was basically just gonna be a guy in the background. But now that you like him, he's staying...lol. You guys rock! Thanks again so much...and here's another chapter for you. :)**

* * *

**Chapter 5**

The next morning I was working on my English paper on the living room couch. It was a little past ten, but I had already been up for about three hours. I didn't have any plans for the day until later in the evening. Around six, Haley and I were going to make a much anticipated trip to the Dairy Queen. Haley was the one anticipating it, I was just going with her because she practically begged me to.

So since I wasn't going anywhere right away, I didn't bother changing out of my pajamas. I was wearing a brown tank top and a pair of lighter brown sleep shorts. My hair was knotted into an uncontrollable mess, and I didn't have one ounce of makeup on. But I felt that was a fine appearance for working on homework during a Saturday morning.

My English paper was nearly finished, and I had only been working on it since about eight. This assignment was so beyond easy that even a toddler could do it. All I had to do was capture the innocent and happy mood of a kitten. So all I did was start to write about the day in the life of a kitten, and then before I knew it I nearly had three pages full. I didn't even know why we were given a week to complete the assignment. Anyone with half a brain could finish it in mere _hours_.

As I was finishing up the final paragraph of my rough draft, the doorbell rang. I groaned and shut my notebook before setting it down on the couch. I ran one hand through my hair in a miserable attempt to look presentable. I didn't much care though, since it was probably just the mailman, or Natasha, or Haley. The doorbell rang a second time as I made my way to the door.

"I'm coming." I called in hopes that whoever was out there heard me.

I no more than opened the door just a crack before Edward sped into my living room.

"Good morning to you too." I said, pulling my shirt down and tucking my hair behind my ears. Could he have found a better time to disturb me?

"This writing assignment is going to drive me insane!" He said before he sat down on the couch.

I walked over in front of him. He was fully dressed in a pair of designer jeans, a light blue dress shirt, and a black suit jacket. I don't know why any normal teenager would already be dressed at ten on a Saturday morning, but I guess that keeps them from being embarrassed when _someone_ decides to make an unexpected visit.

"We haven't even had the assignment for twenty-four hours, and it's already driving you insane?" I asked him.

"Yeah Bella, don't you know the way I get with writing assignments?" He said, groaning in disgust as he leaned against the back of the couch.

"You're making too big of a deal out of it. For one the assignment isn't even due until Friday. Two, you're over thinking how difficult it is. This assignment is so easy...even you could get it."

"Well gee thanks, but I'm not getting it."

"How are you not getting it?" I asked, showing him my notebook. "Look, this is three pages worth of writing on the day in the life of a kitten. This took a little over two hours, and it needs one more sentence to finish it off."

He starred at my notebook. "How in the world do you do that?"

"It's called pick up the pencil, stop over thinking things, and write."

"I can't think of anything to write about the happiness of the sun." He said. "You got an easy one, with kittens and all."

"The sun would be a little bit more difficult, but it shouldn't totally throw you for a loop." I said, setting my notebook back down beside him. "You just have to be a little more creative."

"And that's where my problem is. When it comes to writing I cannot be creative at all."

I put my hands on my hips and looked at him. "You've only been here three days and you're already asking me for help on your writing assignments?"

"Well...yeah." He said smiling. "Isn't that how it always used to work?"

"Yes but I would think you could come up with something on this one."

"I can't. I thought about it all night but I still got nothing."

I sighed and leaned against the wall. "Ok, a key aspect of writing is trying to connect what you are writing about to yourself, so that way it means something to you."

He nodded his head in response.

"So what does the sun mean to you?" I asked.

"Well, it's hot." He said before he grinned. "Like me."

"I knew you were gonna say that."

"Ah so you're not as dumb as I thought you were." He said.

"I would shut up if I were you, since you're the one coming to me for help on a writing assignment about the freaking _sun_ for goodness sakes!"

He didn't seem too insulted, much to my dismay. In fact he was actually laughing.

"Does the sun mean anything else to you?" I asked him.

He shook his head.

"What comes to your mind when you think of the sun?"

"The beach back in LA?" He said.

"Good, go with that."

"Go with the beach?"

"Yeah, and to incorporate the happy innocent mood into it, you could write about a child's first trip to the beach, but make sure to keep mentioning the sun. Keep all negative thoughts out of it, and just give it a very happy atmosphere."

"Write about a child's first trip to the beach?" He asked, looking at me like I was crazy or something. "How do I even begin to do that?"

"Don't you remember the way it felt the first time you went to the beach?" I asked him.

"Yeah I was five, and Emmett decided to bury Alice and I in the sand. We stayed there for three hours until mom and dad finally found us."

I couldn't really feel sorry for him, so I laughed instead.

"It was not funny." He said, but he smiled at the memory. "I was so excited to look for shells and crap like that, but by the time we got rescued I was just too tired to do anything."

"Aw, poor Edward."

"Shut up." He said. "I'm sure your first trip to the beach wasn't too fantastic either."

I remembered the first time I went to the beach quite clearly. "I was about six or seven. I was staying with my dad for a week, and he took me up to La Push one day. Jacob was only four, but he had been to the beach a thousand times before, since it was so close to his house. He asked his dad if I could go with him, and my dad agreed. So we spent the whole day building sandcastles and driftwood forts."

He laughed.

"It was fun!" I said, laughing a little myself.

He was still laughing. "Yes it sounds like a freaking blast."

"I was six, it was fun at the time."

"Yeah well Emmett was nine, and he still buries Alice and I in the sand when we go to the beach. At least now we have enough common sense to know how to get out. And since we do have enough common sense to know how to get out, now it is kind of fun."

"See...Emmett started a tradition that day."

"I wish he wouldn't have."

"Ok, so don't necessarily write about _your_ first experience at the beach, but write about a little kid's ideal first time at the beach. That should be easy enough for you."

"Easy enough for me? No way, but thanks for the help I guess." He said.

I walked into the kitchen and looked through the fridge. "I have a tube of cinnamon rolls in here, do you eat those?"

"Well that's a very dumb question." He responded.

I walked back into the living room, holding the tube of cinnamon rolls in my right hand. "Would you like me to bust this tube over your head?"

"Again with trying to cause me bodily harm Bella? Do you want to be the most hated person in the world?"

"Oh it would be so worth it." I said, running at him with the tube of cinnamon rolls raised. He grabbed my wrists to prevent me from hitting him. I somehow managed to push him against the arm of the couch while I tried to beat him with the tube of cinnamon rolls. Both of us were laughing the whole time. This little war went on for several minutes at least before Edward knocked the tube of cinnamon rolls out of my hand and sent it flying across the room. Luckily it didn't hit the wall or anything, it just rolled out into the hallway.

"You freaking jerk!" I said through my laughter. "Look what you did."

"Oh forgive me for knocking the weapon you were going to kill me with out of your hands."

"I wasn't going to kill you, I just wanted to hit you with it." I said, trying to struggle free of his grip.

"I don't know with you. You seem to hate me quite a bit."

"Edward have you ever heard of anyone being killed because they got hit over the head with a tube of _cinnamon rolls_? I don't even know if that's possible."

"Sorry Bella but I'm quite valuable. I wouldn't want to risk it."

I laughed. "I would love to risk it."

"If you even managed to give me a bruise I think you'd still be the most hated person in the world."

"If you manage to get a bruise because a clumsy _girl_ hit you over the head with a tube of freaking cinnamon rolls then you would be the wimpiest person in the world."

He laughed. "You may be the only person that would think that."

"I seem to be the only person that thinks a lot of things about you."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, so I must be one smart person."

"And why is that?"

"Because I'm the only person in the world with enough common sense to see past your "perfect" exterior."

"I see, so you think I'm hot?"

"Did I say anything about you being hot?"

"Yes."

"Um...no." I said, laughing. "I said you had a "perfect" exterior."

"Otherwise put, you are saying that I am hot."

"You only hear what you like to hear."

"You're right on that one. I like to hear that I'm hot."

"Really?" I asked. "I never would have figured that one out."

"Will you just go make us some cinnamon rolls?"

"I would if you would let go of my wrists."

"I want you to go make them without moving from this couch." He said, but he finally released me.

I didn't respond to his comment as I ran to retrieve the cinnamon rolls. When I walked through the living room to go into the kitchen, Edward laughed at me.

"I'm gonna freaking kill you." I shouted after him.

"Didn't you already try that once today?" He asked.

I groaned in disgust as I finished putting the rolls in the oven. "Don't you have anything better to do?"

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Anything but bothering me would be great at this point in time."

"I just came over to ask you for advice on my writing assignment, and then you tried to kill me."

"Will you just shut up already?" I asked as I walked back into the living room. "You got advice on your assignment, why don't you leave?"

"Because you're making cinnamon rolls for me. It would be so rude for me to leave now."

"To tell you the truth I really wouldn't care."

He laughed. "I get bored easily when I don't have anything to do. And I'm totally out of my element here."

"You are out of your element in Phoenix?" I asked. "You were _born_ here."

"Yeah well I may have been born here, but I've always belonged in LA."

I studied his face for a moment before I spoke again. "So you like it better there."

"Of course I do." He said. "It's the one place I've wanted to be all my life. And now I live there, and I just love everything about it."

"So you spent the first sixteen years of your life in Phoenix, you move to LA for two years, come back to Phoenix for a year, and suddenly you're out of your element?"

He rose up off of the couch and walked over to where I stood. "Bella." He said. "Phoenix never was my element."

"Huh?" I asked.

"My element was always LA, not Phoenix."

I didn't respond, I just starred at him.

He rubbed his forehead and looked up at the ceiling before he looked down at the floor. I was just getting ready to say something when the timer on the oven rang.

I walked into the kitchen to retrieve the cinnamon rolls and I heard his footsteps behind me. I couldn't help but laugh a little.

"What?" He asked, and I turned around to notice he was sitting on the kitchen counter.

"Nothing, I just find it funny that you keep following me around."

"I keep following you around?" He asked.

"Yes." I said, offering the tray of cinnamon rolls to him. He took one right from the middle and examined it closely before he took a bite.

"How so?"

"You have all of the same classes with me, you keep showing up at my house, and you just so happened to be waiting outside of Natasha's house that one night."

He laughed. "And this is considered following you around?"

"No it's considered being stalked."

He laughed even louder this time. "Me stalk you? Yeah right."

"That's what I would call it."

"Bella, come on. If anyone is stalking anyone in this relationship, wouldn't you be stalking me?"

"Relationship? Are we dating now or something?"

"If you want to be." He said with a dumb grin plastered on his face.

I smacked him playfully on the arm before taking a seat beside him on the counter. "Yeah...you see Edward, you're not really my type."

"I'm not your type? Bella darling I'm gonna fill you in on something."

"What?"

"I'm everyone's type."

"Not mine."

"I think you're wrong."

"I think I'm not."

"So completely wrong."

"You are not my type." I repeated, even though I knew good and well he was my type.

"What is your type?" He asked.

"It's not self-centered, egotistical, messy-haired, lying, crappy writing morons, that's for sure." I said, turning to him with a huge grin on my face for a change.

He laughed. "I feel really bad for the poor guy that you are insulting right now."

"Really?" I asked. "Because I don't." I jumped off of the counter and went to get another cinnamon roll.

"I don't lie you know." He said, jumping off of the counter and taking another cinnamon roll as well.

"You most certainly do, because you're lying right now."

He laughed. "Bella, Bella, Bella. Haven't I told you before? Edward Cullen doesn't lie, Edward Cullen acts."

"It's the same thing."

"It's not." He said.

"Is."

"Not."

"Is."

"So not."

I laughed. "Can we ever have a conversation that doesn't turn into an argument?"

"It's a very rare thing, but it has happened before." He said before he started to lick his fingers clean.

"Yes I guess it has." I said, watching him.

"Hey." He said once he was finished. "We should go hang out at the mall or something, like right now."

I looked down at my outfit and then up at him.

"After you get dressed of course." He said, laughing slightly to himself as he ran one hand through his hair.

I moved really close to him and tried to look him in the eye the best I could, but it was hard since I was so much shorter than him. "Edward...what makes you think that I would want to waste my Saturday afternoon going to the mall with you?"

"Well it wouldn't be a wasted Saturday afternoon."

"Yes it would." I said.

He laughed at me. "And you would want to spend your Saturday afternoon with me because you love me."

It was my turn to laugh at him as I gently smacked his chest. "Wrong again." I said before I turned to go to my room so that I could get ready. I heard him laughing at me as I closed my bedroom door.

He couldn't have been more right if he tried

* * *

I tried not to take too long to get ready so that way he wouldn't find yet _another_ reason to make fun of me.

I figured since he had seen me in my pajamas all morning that I didn't really need to dress up too much for him. I put on a pair of jeans and a plain black t-shirt, combed through my hair, put on a little makeup, brushed my teeth, and left with him. He demanded we took his car, which I didn't really protest against.

I learned way too soon that going to the mall with Edward was no longer any fun now that he was a movie star. Not that going to the mall with Edward was any fun before he was a movie star, but at least then we didn't get stopped by every other person so that way they could have his autograph. And Edward got distracted so easily by the littlest things, like stores with displays that had him featured, fans wanting to talk to him, food stands, and of course the randomly occurring mirror. Which actually wasn't so random, since the mall had a ton of clothing stores.

When I'd walk into a store with the intent of briefly browsing through the sale racks, and I'd loose sight of Edward, all I had to do was find the nearest mirror and that's where he would be. How someone could spend that long starring at themselves, even if they are as attractive as Edward, I'll never understand.

At noon we ate at the food court, before we made our way toward the back half of the mall. Edward would smile at every girl that passed him that didn't gather up enough nerve to talk to him. After he smiled at about the millionth girl, I smacked his arm and offered him a ticked-off expression.

He laughed. "What? I can't smile at all the lovely young ladies that walk by?"

"No, you can't." I said, trying my best to keep a straight face. I failed miserably, causing him to laugh some more.

"Can you please just stop checking everyone in the mall out?" I asked. "Including yourself. It makes for a very un-enjoyable experience."

"You make this a very un-enjoyable experience."

"Then why did you ask me to come?"

He shrugged. "I don't know what I was thinking."

"Were you still under the influence when you came to my house this morning?"

"Under the influence, what are you implying? That I was drunk or something?"

"Sounds logical."

He laughed. "I guess it does, since I would think that I wouldn't have made a decision like asking you to come to the mall with me under normal circumstances."

"See...I'm not so crazy after all."

"Yes you are, because even though it sounds logical, it is completely incorrect."

"Sure." I said, noticing he was checking out yet another girl. "You're so obvious you know?"

"What do you mean?"

"When you see a girl you find attractive, it's obvious that you're checking her out."

"Thank you captain of the check out police." He said.

"Hey shut up, my dad's a police officer."

"I know." He said with a kidding tone to his voice.

"So when you're in public with Rosalie...do you do this?"

"Do what?"

"Check out other girls?"

"Well she checks out almost every guy that walks by, so if I occasionally glance at a girl with pretty eyes or something, I don't think she'd even notice."

I was surprised that he was so open about Rosalie not exactly being truthful to him. I was even able to detect a small tone of anger to his voice when he spoke about her that time. When he brought her up before, I hadn't noticed that.

"So when you're just walking around with Rose at the mall, what do you do when you see someone extremely gorgeous?" I asked.

"What do I do when I see someone extremely gorgeous?" He asked me. "Well it's quite simple. I stare, I smile, and when I get tired...I put the mirror down."

I laughed hysterically for a really long time. I probably looked like a dork, but I really didn't care. "You are such a moron." I said, once I had stopped my laughing fit.

"Thanks." He said simply before he stopped to lean against a potted plant.

"So how many of these girls that you check out actually check you out in return?"

"Basically everyone."

"Basically everyone?" I asked. "I doubt that."

"You want to bet on that?"

"Yeah." I said, looking around the mall, trying to pick out a girl that I figured would not be attracted to Edward. A girl dressed in all black with red streaks all throughout her hair stood out to me the most.

"Challenge me."

I pointed to the girl, who was walking away from us at that moment. "Go up to her, and see if she knows who you are. I doubt she does."

He looked at the girl I was referring to. "You think she won't know who I am?"

"Yeah."

"Why is that?"

"Because she looks Gothic. She likes tough stuff, not America's pretty boy."

"I am not America's pretty boy." He said, approaching me with a slightly angered expression, but it softened quickly. "I'm the _world's_ pretty boy. Let's go."

I followed him on his adventure after the Gothic girl. We weaved in and out of the large crowd of people for a while until we finally saw her walking into Hot Topic.

"There she is...go get her." I told him, nudging him in that direction.

He looked back at me like he didn't want to walk that way.

"What is wrong with you?" I asked, walking up to stand next to him. "Besides the usual of course."

He disregarded my comment. "I've kind of never been in Hot Topic before."

"Really?" I asked. "Why?"

"It sort of.." He said, coughing. "Scares me."

I laughed like crazy. "It scares you? Why does it scare you?"

"It's just weird!" He yelled, causing a few people to turn around and look at him. Not that most of the people nearby weren't already looking at him.

"I shop there thank you very much."

"Oh well that explains it."

"You...Edward Cullen. Yeah, you will shut up about now." I said, dragging him into the store. "Come on, nothing's going to attack your face or anything."

"Thank goodness." He said, looking around the store in what appeared to be nothing less than horror.

"I wish something would." I added, which received an angry look from him in response.

I finally managed to drag him over to where the Gothic girl was looking at some bracelets. "Prove to me that basically any girl wants you."

He brushed off his arm where I had been holding him. "Ok, fine." He said, before taking a step towards the girl.

I laughed at him as he stepped forward slowly.

"Hey." He said, offering her his dazzling smile.

The girl basically threw the bracelets she was holding in his face. "EDWARD CULLEN! OH MY GOSH!" She screamed, as she started to fan her face like crazy.

"Yes, that would be me." He said, looking back at me with another smile. I smacked my head against the wall.

"I FREAKING LOVE YOU!" She said walking closer to him. "Can you do something for me?"

"Take a picture, give you my autograph, say the line? Or all three?"

"Well I didn't even think about that." She said, practically bouncing up and down. "But now that you mention it YES!"

"I assume that's a yes to all three." He said, smiling back at me again. The girl just so happened to luckily have a camera with her, and Edward forced me to take around fifty pictures of the two of them. Then he took out the stupid pack of sticky notes he kept in his pocket and signed his autograph on it with a black marker.

"Now." He said as he handed her the sticky note. I went back to hitting my head against the wall. "Are you ready?"

"JUST SAY THE LINE!" She squealed excitedly.

He cleared his throat before he spoke. "Claire, I always have hated you. But I always have, and always will, be totally in love with you."

The girl nearly fainted at his feet, and I almost did too. I had heard him say the line on TV and in Love to Hate You at least a thousand times, but I had never heard him say it in person before. It was ten times better.

"I....LOVE...YOU!" She screamed again, still fanning her face like she was on fire or something.

"Most people do." He said, and I could tell he was just trying to tick me off.

"Now that we have that taken care of..." She said. "Can you do just one more thing for me?"

"Sure, anything for a lovely, beautiful, dedicated fan such as yourself." Gosh he made me want to barf, yet faint at the same time.

I think she screamed the phrase "OH MY FREAKING GOSH!" At least a thousand times before she finally calmed down. "KISS ME!"

"Kiss you?" He asked, not seeming shocked at all. "By all means."

Not to my surprise, Edward leaned over and gently kissed the girl on the lips. She practically did faint then. After several more minutes we finally managed to leave the store, and the two of us didn't talk until we both had a bottle of pop and we had set down on a bench.

"That was so funny." Edward said, sitting down first.

I decided to be stupid, and I laid down on the bench, resting my head in his lap. He didn't seem to mind.

"Funny? You about made the poor girl faint like..five times. You kissed her!"

He laughed. "I kiss any of my fans that ask me to. Why not give them the thrill of their lives?"

"Thrill?" I asked him, finding myself getting incredibly lost in his gorgeous green eyes. It was hard to form complete sentences looking into those eyes.

"Yeah." He said, running his fingers gently through my hair. He leaned down to get closer to me. "If you'd ask me to kiss you, I'd do it too."

"Me? Ask you to kiss me? Not gonna happen."

"Regulations."

"Yes, regulations. Ones that you don't completely fit."

"Oh but I fit them partially?" He asked me, getting closer.

He was right, he did fit them partially. He meant everything in the world to me, but I'm sure I meant nothing to him. Just like that poor Gothic girl that now probably thought Edward and her were destined to get married someday. But did Edward care about that girl? No, all he cared about was that she cared about _him_.

"I'm not going to answer that." I said.

"So I do huh?" He asked, smiling at me. "What if I tried to kiss you right now?"

"I wouldn't let you do it."

"Oh I think you would." He said, still continuing to get closer to me.

I was actually considering it.

"Oh I think I wouldn't."

"I'm going to kiss you." He said.

"No you're not."

"Yes I am."

"No you're not."

"Yes...I...am." He whispered softly, his breath fanning gently across my face.

And you thought I couldn't form a complete sentence before.

I just shook my head no in response, since I didn't even remember how to speak at that point in time.

He ignored me, and continued to lean into me the rest of the way. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before his lips barely brushed against mine.

"OH MY GOSH EDWARD!" The Gothic girl called, causing both of us to quickly look up. "COME WITH ME AND GET A SMOOTHIE OR SOMETHING!"

Edward laughed nervously and ran a hand through his hair. "Thanks but, I'm lactose intolerant. I can't have smoothies."

"Aw..ok...some other time then my love!" She called before bouncing away.

I looked up at him. "You are not lactose intolerant."

He laughed. "It's called acting Bella. I kind of do that a lot. It's sort of my job."

"Really?" I asked, trying to stand up, but I almost fell over in the process. Not due to clumsiness, due to shock. "I thought you were a professional moron."

He laughed as we walked out of the mall. "No...I'm actually a crappy writer for a living."

I laughed a little myself.

"Or an amazing kisser." He said, grinning before he ran quickly to his car.

"I guess I won't ever get to know if that's true or not." I whispered to myself, watching him get in the car as I slowly walked that way. When I saw the little Gothic girl getting in her fancy black car a few aisles away...I wished that I had a tube of cinnamon rolls to beat _her_ with.

* * *

**So what did you all think? I just want to clarify a few things here. First off I do not own the store Hot Topic...if I did...I'd get all of the Twilight/New Moon Merchandise and worship it. Secondly...that line Edward said about seeing someone extremely gorgeous, and putting a mirror down...that whole bit was not my own creation. My sister found it on some background on her I-pod, and she thought it sounded Edward-like. Third, I wasn't trying to be mean or stereotypical towards Gothic people in this chapter...I actually love Hot Topic and have a "Gothic" style...like I love to wear black and stuff...but I'm not actually "Gothic." It makes me mad when people call me that...so I didn't want to insult anyone in this chapter, and I'm sorry if I did.**

**Thanks for reading...please shoot me a review if you have the time!**

**~Hazl~**


	6. Chapter 6

**I want to start off by wishing all of you a happy Thanksgiving holiday. Enjoy all the food, fun, and family. And most of all, enjoy not being in school! Make sure to check my author's note at the end of the chapter! :)**

* * *

**Chapter 6**

On Monday morning I was sitting on the front step waiting for Haley. It was seven forty, and I was starting to assume that she forgot to come get me. Actually I wasn't just assuming she forgot to come get me, I _knew_ she forgot to come get me. School didn't start until eight, so I wasn't in a total pickle, but I really would have liked it if Haley would have shown up on time.

I had just dialed Natasha's number in my phone to see if she'd come get me when I heard a car pulling in the driveway. I hit "end" on my phone before Natasha picked up on the other line. So Haley did remember me, she just came a little late.

But when I looked up it wasn't Haley's lime-green, feather covered, bedazzled Beetle that I saw, but a silver Volvo.

Edward opened his door and walked around to the passenger's side of the car. It's like he was purposefully trying to look hot. He walked real slow, adjusted his sunglasses, and stuck his hands in his pockets before he leaned against the car.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him, picking up my bag and walking in his direction.

"You're welcome." He said, opening the door for me.

"What do you mean, you're welcome?" I asked him, but I sat down anyway. He walked around to the other side of the car then, and sat down in the driver's seat before he answered me.

"You should be thanking me for rescuing you." He said.

"Rescuing me?" I asked with an edge of laughter to my voice. "How is this considered rescuing me?"

"Well, if I remember correctly, Haley was supposed to come get you over five minutes ago. Is she here? No, she's not is she?"

"I could have found a way to school somehow."

"Yes, and you found me. Aren't you lucky?"

" No I'm not." I stated simply. "Oh and Edward?"

"Yes Bella?"

"How do you remember all of this stuff?"

He laughed. "I'm pretty much a big deal."

"Wow, that really is your catch phrase."

"I told you so." He said, stopping so a few kids could cross the street.

"It's hard to know when to believe you."

"I could understand that."

I laughed. "So you just decided to come pick me up and take me to school this morning?"

"Sure, it gives me more time to make fun of you." He said as he smiled at me.

"Oh great." I said, trying to sound unenthusiastic.

"Let's just say that until your parents get back next week, I'll take you to school in the mornings."

"Really?" I asked, hoping I didn't sound too excited. "Are you going to remember?"

"Bella I remembered to pick you up for school when it wasn't even my responsibility. Of course I'll remember."

"Because you're pretty much a big deal right?"

"Right."

I laughed as Edward pulled into the school parking lot. Boy the looks that we were getting as we walked into the school together. The news was probably spreading like wildfire, and everyone would know that Edward Cullen had brought me to school, and they'd probably know before first period was even over.

It felt sort of odd, having all of those people starring at me. Edward loved the attention though, he was eating it up. He's a huge attention hog.

To make matters worse, he followed me all the way to my locker, and tried to continue conversation with me. I had seen him plenty over the weekend, so I knew I would get sick of him sooner that day.

"So when do your camera people start filming your dumb little reality show?" I asked.

"They start filming on Friday." He said, leaning against the locker beside mine. "Then they'll film on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays until the end of the school year. They'll also film at a few after-school things like dances, games, and prom."

"So can I just avoid the camera crew on these days?"

He laughed. "No, because even though the crew isn't here everyday, there's hidden cameras all over this place that are filming twenty-four seven."

"You suck."

"You've told me that before."

"It's because it's true."

"I'm sure most people would beg to differ with you."

"Didn't we have this discussion Saturday? I'm not most people."

"I guess we did. Oh and by the way." Edward said as I closed my locker door. He reached into his pocket and took out this huge wad of cash. "Here."

I was so confused as to why Edward was handing me a whole bunch of money, but I knew I could make a joke out of it.

"Oh what's this for? Last night?" I asked, putting on my sexiest smile. Which probably wasn't so sexy.

"Please say no." Someone standing near us said, and when I turned around to see who it was, it was Brandon.

Edward's face was priceless. You could tell he had no idea how to respond. "Um...no it's not."

Brandon heaved a sigh of relief before he continued on his way. I then proceeded to laugh like crazy at my own joke, which prompted Edward to hit me with the wad of cash.

"Bella you're not quite right...you know?"

"Neither are you." I said in response.

"What's not right about me?" He asked.

"Well the fact that you're dating Rosalie Hale would be a good start."

"And there's something wrong with that?" He asked.

"Oh not just something, _everything_."

"Do you want this money, or do you just want to make fun of me and my girlfriend?"

"Depends, how much money is it?"

"About three hundred thousand." He said.

My eyes grew wide. "Why in the world do you want to give me three hundred thousand dollars?"

He fanned himself with the money. "Ah let's just say that I'm the owner of a brand new fork."

I didn't get it for a while until I really thought about it. "You won my E-bay auction?"

"I sure did."

"Why in the world would you want to spend three hundred thousand dollars on a fork that _you_ ate off of?"

"Bella, my giving you this money for that fork would be like Haley giving you a dollar for a candy bar, it means nothing to me."

"Why would you want that fork?" I asked.

"I just wanted to see if you really were going to sell it. I'm very proud of you for taking my advice."

I couldn't believe him. "So you want me to take this?" I asked, pointing to the money.

"Yeah." He said, handing me the wad of cash.

"And where am I going to put a huge wad of cash throughout the school day?"

"Your locker, your pocket...I don't know. Why don't you take your own advice and be _creative_." He said with a smirk on his face before he walked away.

I really, really, really wanted to punch Edward, but you see, I'm unfortunately in love with him.

* * *

The rest of the week passed rather quickly. I laughed hysterically when Miss Lovely announced in class on Monday that the assignments would be due on Thursday instead of Friday, since we were having an assembly to announce the homecoming court on Friday during last period. Edward about had a fit. Practically everyone in the class was already done with their assignments. Denver just had a few things to finish up, Kyle was on his last paragraph, Jasmine's was finished, but she left it at home, and Edward had nothing. At least by the end of class his name was on the top of his paper.

Miss Lovely tried to work with Edward in class on Tuesday and Wednesday, but he still didn't seem to be getting the hang of it. Almost all of our conversations in the morning revolved around that writing assignment, whether he was asking me for advice, or I was making fun of him for not being able to write anything.

Natasha made an announcement on Monday in the hallway after school that anyone who wanted to change their vote for homecoming king to Edward, to please see her. I'm sure she had plenty of people that came to change their votes. I was one of them.

I wasn't really excited for the assembly on Friday. Last period was my favorite class, so I was bummed out that I was missing it. And the homecoming court assemblies never got me excited anyway.

Natasha, Haley, and I took our usual seats. Edward, Brandon, Denver, and Kyle filed in and took the seats behind us. This was a very crappy arrangement, since Edward proceeded to throw paper wads in my hair while we were waiting for the assembly to start.

"Edward!" I yelled, after shaking hundreds of paper wads out of my hair.

"Yes Bella?" He asked with a soft smile on his face, trying to play innocent.

"Why don't you make good use out of that paper and stuff it in your mouth!" I said to him before turning around.

"Ooh Cullen she got you good!" Denver said.

"Shut up Colorado." Edward responded, resting his feet on the back of my seat. I groaned in disgust, and he laughed.

"Denver dear, let's not make fun of Edward...ok?" Natasha said to him.

"Why not? It's fun."

"It may be fun, but who knows if it hurts his self-esteem."

Denver laughed. "Cullen's self-esteem could use a little hurt. Besides, Bella makes fun of him all the time, you don't yell at her."

"That's different, Bella has perfect reason."

"Thank you Natasha." I said, looking over at Haley in confusion as I watched her licking her hand. I didn't even bother asking questions anymore.

"Why does she have perfect reason?" Denver asked.

"Maybe because Edward is very mean to her."

"Did you ever think Edward's mean to her because she's mean to him?"

"I doubt that." Natasha said. "I think it's a different reason entirely."

"What reason Natasha? What reason?"

Natasha turned around to look at Denver. "I think Edward treats Bella badly because he likes her."

This caused Denver to burst into an insane fit of laughter, Brandon to break his pencil in half, me to blush, and Edward to laugh quietly in slight embarrassment.

"You're crazy Natasha, ya know that?" Denver said. "Cullen like Bella? Yeah right. He's got Rosalie Hale...why would he even begin to want her?" He said, pointing to me.

I sunk lower into my seat, feeling very upset all of a sudden. Not exactly because of what Denver said, but because I knew it was true.

Edward rested his head in his hand and ignored Denver's comment, but he still didn't bother to take his feet off of my chair.

"Denver!" Natasha said, smacking his leg. "You should apologize to Bella."

"Dang girl." Denver said, rubbing his leg before turning to look at me. "Sorry Bella."

"It's ok." I mumbled.

Natasha looked back at Denver again. "Honey you may be hot, but don't think that's going to be the only thing that will keep me with you for long."

Denver was pretty hot. He was your traditional jock guy, only he was more so skinny than bulky. He had rich brown hair and nice hazel colored eyes. He just so happened to be a jerk at times.

He didn't bother to talk anymore, mostly because Miss Lovely walked over to the podium to begin the assembly. She had been appointed adviser of the homecoming committee. Natasha was student president of the homecoming committee...but like you really needed that clarified.

"Good afternoon students." Miss Lovely said, causing the row of boys behind us to whistle for her. "Thank you." She said with a soft smile. "It is now my pleasure to begin announcing the homecoming court."

She went through the freshmen, sophomore, and junior attendants real quick, since no one really cared about them. Right before she would announce who they were, Natasha would tell me, since she had counted all of the ballots that came in, except for the ones for queen.

"Now for the seniors." Miss Lovely said, causing the whole senior section to cheer loudly. "How this works is that everyone in the whole school voted for one senior boy and one senior girl that they wanted to be king and queen. Second and third place boys and girls will be the two senior attendants, and the boy and girl in first place will be king and queen."

Natasha bounced up and down in her seat.

"If either one of you get to be attendant or queen or something, can I make your dress?" Haley asked, pointing to Natasha and I.

We both laughed.

"No thanks Haley." Natasha responded. "But that was very sweet of you to offer."

"I make your dress?" She asked me, pointing a half-eaten licorice stick at my face. I remembered seeing it in her purse last month.

"Haley I'm not even going to get to be attendant, but if I was...I'll consider it."

"Good enough for me." She said, taking a bite of the licorice.

"Yuck." I whispered under my breath. I didn't want Haley to feel insulted, I just let Haley do what Haley pleases.

"The first male senior attendant is..." Miss Lovely said, pausing in order to add a little drama. "Denver Thompson."

Denver sprinted down the stairs to take his position behind one of the empty chairs for a senior girl attendant.

"Woo! Go Colorado!" Kyle called from the stands.

"That's my man!" Natasha cheered.

"And the other male senior attendant is....Brandon Carter."

Everyone clapped for Brandon as he made his way down onto the gym floor.

"You go dude!" Kyle called for him. Edward remained silent.

Miss Lovely allowed time for the applause to die down before she spoke again. "Now the first female attendant, who will be paired with Denver, is.....Autumn France."

Autumn hugged Jasmine and a few of her other friends before she walked down the stairs and sat down in the chair in front of Denver.

"Good." Natasha said, with a smile on her face.

"It is not good!" Haley said, looking at her. "I can't make _her_ dress!"

We ignored her."Why is that good?" I asked.

"Because Denver doesn't like Autumn, so I don't have to worry about him flirting with her."

I laughed. "Nice Natasha, very nice."

She smiled in response. "I know."

"By the way Natasha." I whispered, leaning closer to her so that she could hear. "How many votes did Brandon and Denver get?"

"Brandon had two and Denver had one." She said. "The rest of the votes went to someone else."

We both looked up at Edward at the same time.

"What?" He asked, looking at us with a confused expression on his face.

"Nothing." I said, before we both turned around. "Who voted for them?"

"I know that the guy that has a crush on me voted for Brandon because he doesn't like Edward and he obviously doesn't like Denver. He also said that Kyle was a waste of human intellect, so Brandon seemed like the most likely option."

"Kyle...a waste of human intellect?" I asked, looking up at Kyle, who appeared to be sleeping. "I guess that makes sense."

"It does." Natasha said, glancing up at him as well. "Anyway, I don't recognize the handwriting of the other person that voted for Brandon, and I know that Brandon was the person that voted for Denver."

"You didn't even vote for Denver?" I asked.

"Nope." She said, smiling from ear to ear.

"Wow Natasha, just wow."

She shrugged in response, and we focused our attention back on Miss Lovely.

"The second female senior attendant is..." She said, allowing another dramatic pause. "Bella Swan."

"What?" I asked, looking over at Natasha, who had this huge grin on her face.

"Go down there!" She said.

"Yes! Go Bella!" Haley cheered.

I didn't even know what to do. "_Me_...homecoming attendant? Natasha you obviously counted the ballots wrong or something."

"No I didn't...now go!" She said, trying to yank me out of my seat. The trip down the stairs and to the chair in front of Brandon was like a dream to me. I couldn't even begin to believe that enough people in the school had voted for me to be on the homecoming court.

I could tell Haley was already planning dress designs, but I knew I'd have to let her down gently. In fact, Natasha would probably tell me that I'd have to wear some really fancy dress. I didn't feel like getting super dressed up, even if I was an attendant. I hoped I could talk her into letting me wear jeans or something.

"And now for the moment you have all been waiting for." Miss Lovely spoke into the microphone. "This year's homecoming king is...."

"Excuse me." Edward called from the bleachers. He was leaning against the handrail in the middle of the stairs. "Do you just want me to save you the time and go ahead and come down there?"

Miss Lovely laughed a little and nodded. "Go ahead." She said. The crowd cheered like mad while Edward made his way down the stairs and behind his own respective chair.

Denver and him did this handshake that they had invented a long time ago when they were little kids. It was like their official group thing or something. I hadn't seen any of the guys, not Denver, Kyle, or Brandon do that handshake since Edward left. I guess they were kind of lost without him.

"And now for the queen." Miss Lovely said, after allowing ten minutes for the crowd to cheer. And I'm not joking, she seriously waited ten minutes. "This year's homecoming queen is....Natasha Myers."

Natasha made her way to the seat in front of Edward, looking like she was going to cry. I don't know why, she should have known she was going to be queen. It was pretty self-explanatory.

A few members of the yearbook staff took our picture and then we were allowed to disperse with everyone else in the school. Natasha immediately ran to hug me.

"Bella this is going to be so much fun! You and me both on the court!"

"It's going to be great fun." I said, actually kind of serious. I noticed Haley bouncing our way. She hugged each one of us before she turned to me.

"I make your dress?" She asked again.

I laughed. "Um, we'll see about that."

She pouted in response, but her smile returned almost instantly.

"Oh Natasha....about the dresses...do they have to be really fancy?" I asked.

"Well yes, you're on the court. You have to look nice." She said, as Denver came up to her and put his arm around her waist.

"Could I wear a dress...just not a real fancy one?"

She thought about it for a minute. "I guess it all depends. We'll see when the time comes." Then her face lit up like she had an amazing idea. "We should go shopping right now!"

"Right now?" I asked.

"Yeah...it will be so much fun!"

"Haley come?" Haley asked, looking at me and then Natasha for an answer.

We both laughed. "Yes Haley, you can come." Natasha said, turning to Denver. "Do you wanna come sweetie?"

"Nah, I'll pass. Kyle and I are catching a movie at seven."

"Ok then." She said as he kissed the top of her forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yep." He called back to her before taking off out of the gym with Kyle.

"So the three of us are going shopping?" I asked.

"That's what it looks like." Natasha said.

I nodded. "Ok, I guess I'm in."

"We should get food." Haley threw in.

"Food would be good." I said, laughing at Haley's excited facial expression.

"I'm so happy you're on the court with me Bella!" Natasha squealed, hugging me again as we tried to make our way out of the gym.

"Yeah, how in the world did that happen?"

"How did what happen?"

"Me getting on the court?"

"You had a lot of people vote for you."

"Really?" I asked. "Like who?"

"I voted for you." Someone whispered in my ear, and when I turned around to see who it was, there was no one there, but I saw that Edward had a dumb grin on his face as he walked over to Brandon.

"Was that Edward?" I asked Haley.

"It be Edward. What sweet nothings was he whispering to you?"

I laughed. "He wasn't whispering me sweet nothings...he told me he voted for me."

Natasha squealed loudly in my ear while Haley made a noise that resembled a dying chicken.

"That is so sweet!" Natasha said.

"Shut up." I said, crossing my arms across my chest, and looking back at Edward and Brandon, who were walking our way.

"Hey girls." Edward said, smiling at Natasha, Haley, and finally me. "I heard you're all going shopping this afternoon. Mind if I come?"

"No."

"No."

"Yes."

"Two to one again Bella." He said.

"Guys...why?" I asked Natasha and Haley.

"Actually, it would be a lot of help if he came along. He could give me input on which dresses I should get." Natasha said.

"May I tag along as well?" Brandon asked, trying to keep his distance from Edward. "I can help you Bella, since you are paired with me."

I looked up at Edward to see what his response was. He didn't exactly seemed pleased with the idea of Brandon coming along.

Oh well, anything to tick him off.

"Sure Brandon, that would be great." I said.

"You know Natasha, I'd be more than happy to help you pick out a dress." Edward said to her.

"Really? Great!" She cheered, as she lead us out of the gym. "Let us begin our adventure!"

"Yes, let's." I said, giving Edward a dirty look.

"Do you need a ride to the mall Bella?" Brandon asked.

Ok, I wanted to make Edward mad, but I wasn't going to go as far as to get in a car with Brandon. Who knows what he'd do to me.

"I'm gonna ride with Natasha or Haley, but thanks." I said, trying to offer him a sincere smile.

He nodded and went ahead and walked in front of all of us, to avoid further contact with Edward.

"Maybe if you're lucky you'll see your lovely little Gothic girlfriend at the mall." I told Edward.

He laughed nervously. "Yes, that would be such a great thing...wouldn't it?"

"I certainly think so." I said, grinning at him before I quickly dashed to Haley's car.

This was going to be a very fun evening.

* * *

We were in one of the dress stores in the mall, looking at all of the different displays. Haley was not pleased, because none of the dresses had feathers on them. She declared that she would be going to the food court to get a huge chilly dog, and sketch out designs for her dress. We really didn't even notice she was gone.

"Is there a certain color code I need to be following here Natasha?" I asked, browsing through a few dresses I would never be caught dead in. Edward was right behind me, looking at each dress I pushed aside.

"The colors for the dance are fall themed." She said. "Orange, yellow, red, dark green, brown, and bronze. You can have first pick of which color you want."

"Can I have red?" I asked.

"Sure, I think I want to be green...will that look good on me?"

"Natasha...seriously, any color will look good on you."

She smiled. "Ok, so Edward." She called to him from across the room.

"Yes Natasha?"

"You need to get a black tux, and wear a dark green tie...do you have one?"

"Of course I do." He said, shrugging his shoulders as if it was nothing. "I have like...five ties for every color you could ever imagine."

I groaned and rolled my eyes at him, and he noticed. Brandon was over at the other end of the room, nodding yes or shaking his head no in response to dresses Natasha was holding up.

"Aren't you supposed to be helping your queen?" I asked Edward as he followed me to a rack of red dresses.

"Yeah, Brandon seems to be doing an ok job at that." He said, picking up one dress that I had pushed aside. "Try this one." He said, laying it on my arm.

I looked at the dress he handed me. It was long and very form-fitting. It had spaghetti straps, and a huge diamond thing in the center, right in between where your boobs would be.

"Really?" I asked him.

"Yeah." He said. "It would look nice."

I didn't bother arguing with him and just kept a hold of the dress.

"So are you glad that you're the king?" I asked.

"Well of course, but I kind of expected it."

"I think everyone expected it."

"Yeah they did." He said, looking at one of the other dresses I had pushed aside. He held it up for a second and then put it back on the rack.

"Did you hear how many votes Brandon and Denver got?" I asked.

"How many?"

"Natasha said that Denver had one vote, and that it was from Brandon. She said that one of Brandon's votes was from that kid that has a crush on her, and she didn't know who the other person that voted for him was."

"I bet I know who it was." He said.

"Really?" I asked, examining a dress. I quickly put it back on the rack. "Who?"

"Just some guy."

"Some guy? Do you know who?"

"Oh yeah, I know who."

"Well who?"

He laughed a little as he tried not to look at me. "This guy who just so happened to get four hundred and ninety seven votes."

I stopped looking at dresses and turned my attention to him. He didn't say anything else, he just kept looking at the dresses.

He handed me another dress in order to distract me.

"Edward, are you serious?" I asked. This dress was real long too, just a little less form fitting than the one before it. The straps on it were thicker, and it didn't look as vibrant as the first dress.

"I'm just trying to help." He said. He wasn't even quiet for five seconds before he held another dress up. "Are you more of the ball gown type?"

I about spit all over his face, that's how hard I laughed. The dress he held up was huge, super poofy, and it had sparkles all over it.

"Defiantly not." I said, but he draped the dress over my arm anyway.

"So you voted for me?" He asked after a while.

"Obviously." I said, moving over to another display.

"Why?"

I laughed. "Just cause. I don't really talk to any of the other guys that much."

"But you hate me."

"You were going to be king whether I voted for you or not. Besides, you hate me, and who did you vote for?"

"I voted for you."

"Exactly."

He remained silent after that, and actually didn't bother to hand me any other dresses for a while, but he eventually got around to it again. "Ok, do you like something a little different?"

"Define different."

"Like something shorter in length than what I've been showing you."

"What's it look like?" I asked him. He held up this fairly short, darker red dress that had this crinkle top appearance. It looked the most like something I would wear, but it was still pretty far off.

"What do you think?" He asked.

"That's a little better." I said, holding my arm out for him to lay the dress on.

"Is there anything I can..." The store clerk, a young girl around twenty started to ask us before she saw Edward. "OH MY GOSH YOU'RE EDWARD CULLEN!"

He smiled. "Yes I am." He said, taking out his pad of sticky notes on instinct.

The girl seemed so happy that she now had a piece of paper with his signature on it. "What did I come over here to ask you?" She said to us.

"Were you gonna ask us if we needed help?" I said, trying to help _her_ out.

"Oh yes, silly me." She said, looking at Edward. "Do you any help finding anything?"

"Actually yes. Do you have any crazy looking, sort of punk-rock dresses?" I asked.

You should have seen the look on Edward's face. It's like he thought the kind of dresses I was asking for were incredibly evil or something.

"What?" I asked him as the clerk led us over to a small display in the back. "Not all girls have to dress so proper you know."

"Yeah I know, but you're a member of the homecoming court, shouldn't you look nice compared to everyone else?"

"Are you trying to say I won't look nice?" I asked him, thanking the store clerk for showing me the dresses.

"No, but you'll defiantly look different compared to everyone else."

"Good, I'll stand out then." I said, holding up a dress that was so crazy I don't even think Haley would wear it. Of course she wouldn't wear it anyway, there weren't any feathers on it. It had a plastic sort of look to it, bows everywhere, and small bits of red plaid fabric showing in between the pleats of the skirt.

"That's for sure." He said, starring at the dress I held up. I laughed and put it back on the rack.

I pushed aside every dress I came to, not really seeing anything that caught my eye.

Finally after I walked over to the other side of the rack, I found a dress that I liked.

"Edward come look at this." I said, motioning him over there.

Edward squeezed past one of the other clothing racks to reach my side. When he saw the dress I was holding up he made a disgusted face.

"Well what do you think?" I asked him, knowing he wouldn't like it...but I did. This dress was shorter than the other dresses, but I was ok with that. The dress had the appearance of snake skin, or crocodile scales. The "scales" were red, while the cracks in between them were black. A black belt with a small buckle went around the middle of it. There was some mesh fabric that came up around the neck, and two mesh ties that were to go around the neck as well.

"It's um...kind of different." He said, running one of his hands through his hair as he starred at the dress. "Not really homecoming material. I mean I could understand if you wanted to wear it if you were just going to the dance, but as a member of the court, I'd chose something a little more high class."

"I like it." I said. I really did like it, but I also was into making Edward mad that day. The more I could disagree with him about, the better.

"Suit yourself." He said, still not acting as though he approved. "I wouldn't wear it."

"I sure hope you wouldn't wear a dress no matter what it looked like." I said, folding the dress over my arm.

"You make a good point." He said, following me to the dressing room. "But if I did wear a dress, it wouldn't be that one."

"Hey Bella." Brandon said, walking towards us. "Need any help?"

"No thanks Brandon, I found a couple dresses. Edward helped me out."

"Oh, I see." He said as he quickly glanced at Edward. Edward turned his head away and acted like he was starring outside of the store and into the mall.

"Did you help Natasha out?" I asked, trying to be friendly.

"Ah, not really. She did most of the decision making herself."

"Well you can give me your opinion, if you want." I said, laying the five dresses out on the couch in front of the dressing room. "Which one do you like the best?"

His eyes immediately went to my favorite dress. "That's quite unique." He said, pointing to it.

"That's what I said." Edward said, standing beside me.

Brandon ignored him. "I like these two." He said, pointing to the second and fourth dresses.

"I'd say either that one or that one." Edward added, pointing to the first dress and then the fourth one.

"But this one is my style." I said, motioning towards the fifth dress. All of a sudden, Haley came dashing into the store with a huge smile on her face.

"Hey girl!" She called, smiling at Edward. "Find any dresses?"

"Yeah I did. Which one do you like?" I asked, pointing to them.

She pointed to the fifth dress. "That one."

"See." I said, turning to the guys. "Haley got it right."

Natasha walked over to us with her arms full of dresses. "Did you have any luck Bella?"

"Yeah, some." I said, as we all turned to look at the dresses I had.

"Hmm. I like the ball gown myself, but the last one looks the most like you."

The guys just shrugged their shoulders and sat down on another couch as I gathered my dresses together. "Let's go try these on Natasha." I said.

Haley sat down in between the two guys and started talking to them about her dress ideas.

I put on the first dress and examined my reflection. It didn't look too bad on me, but it wasn't necessarily my thing. I walked out of the dressing room at the same time as Natasha.

"What do you think Bella?" She asked. The dress she was wearing was shorter than most dresses, and it didn't look as formal as Natasha would like it to be. Of course she looked gorgeous in it regardless.

"It just doesn't look right." I said, as we walked out to where the guys and Haley were sitting. They gave us their opinions before we went back into the dressing room.

I liked the second dress less than the first one. Even though it flowed and all a little bit more, it was no where near my taste. I was ready before Natasha, and I stepped outside of the dressing room to get everyone else's opinions.

"I think it looks nice." Brandon added in.

"Yeah it's a very nice looking dress, just not as formal as the first one maybe." Edward said.

Haley offered me a thumbs down.

"That's what I was thinking Haley." I said, turning around a few times to look at myself in the mirror.

Natasha came out of the dressing room in a ball gown style dress. It had some kind of bead work or something on the front, but it was a very awkward green.

"I'm not so sure about this one." She said, not really bothering to walk out of the doorway.

"Yeah it's kind of weird." I said, walking closer to her. "And you need to get a dress that shows off your body more."

"I don't like it." She said, turning back into the dressing room.

Much to my displeasure, I put on the third dress, the ball gown. It looked _nothing_ like me. It looked more like something Natasha would pick up, but of course...I didn't chose this dress myself...Edward did.

When I stepped out of the dressing room for everyone else's opinions, Haley laughed at me. Brandon tried to keep from laughing, but he did a little. However Edward seemed dead serious.

"That looks nice." He said.

"It may look nice, but this is not me at all."

Natasha came over to my side then. Now she had on a strapless dress that sort of ruffled at the top. It was a little bit more form-fitting, and it looked more like her.

"Bella, that's a very pretty dress." She said. "But it is not you."

"That dress is pretty." I said, pointing to her.

"Yeah I kind of like it." She said, looking at herself in the mirror. I laughed and ran quickly back into the dressing room. The less time I had to spend in that stupid dress, the better.

I put on the fourth dress, the shorter one, and examined my reflection before I walked out of the dressing room. This dress was more my style than the other three, I'll give Edward credit for that.

When I walked out of the dressing room in that dress, Brandon's eyes grew as wide as saucers. Edward even appeared as though he was checking me out.

"That one's really hot." Brandon said, before I even got the chance to ask them their opinion.

Natasha walked out of the dressing room in another form-fitting dress, with sparkles on the sides and spaghetti straps.

Haley offered both Natasha and I two thumbs down.

"That's what I was thinking." Natasha said, turning once to look at herself in the mirror before she went back into the dressing room.

"What do you think Edward?" I asked, looking at my reflection.

"It does look really nice." He said. "Not exactly homecoming attendant appropriate, but it's a nice dress."

"No deal Howie!" Haley chimed.

I laughed. "Have we been watching Deal or No Deal a little too much Haley?"

"Nah." She replied.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I do like it better than the other three, but I don't know."

"You still have the sexy dress girlfriend!"Haley chimed.

"The sexy dress?" I asked, turning to notice Natasha had come back out of the dressing room again. This time she was wearing a really form-fitting dress. It had spaghetti straps, and some kind of silver thing in the middle of her boobs. And it was covered in sparkles. You could tell by the look on her face that she was in love with that dress.

"I think this is it." She said, squealing in excitement. Everyone else agreed with her.

While everyone was telling Natasha how beautiful she looked, I went back into the dressing room to put on the last dress. Once I had it on and I was looking at myself in the mirror, it just felt right.

When I walked out of the dressing room Natasha was no longer out there.

"So what do you think?" I asked them. Haley jumped up on the couch and cheered.

"Yeah baby! That's what I'm talking about!"

Brandon was looking at my dress with a disgusted face. "It's um...kind of odd. I don't really like it."

Haley smacked him. "You will shut up...ok?"

"Ok." He said, obviously scared of Haley. I couldn't blame him.

"What do you have on now Bella?" Natasha asked, her dress draped over her right arm. "Girl that is so you!"

"I know." I said, growing to like the dress even more. I then remembered that I forgot to ask Edward what he thought. "What do you think Edward?" I asked.

He didn't respond, he just remained starring right at me.

"Edward?" I said again. "What do you think?"

He still didn't say anything.

"Edward!" I practically yelled, which seemed to knock him out of his trance. He shook his head and ran his hand through his hair.

"Yeah?" He asked.

"What do you think?"

"Um, its...a lot better than I thought."

I was surprised. "Seriously?"

"Yeah." He said. "It really looks like you, and it's sort of pretty in an odd way."

"So do you think I should get this dress?" I asked, pointing to myself.

"I do." He said, nodding his head in approval. "If that's what you want."

"It is." I said, smiling a little at him. I went into the dressing room and changed into my regular clothes. While Natasha and I were paying for our dresses, Haley declared we should all go out to eat. No one really disagreed with her.

Natasha bought her dress first, and walked out of the store with Haley to go look at some shoes in another store real quick. Brandon walked out of the store too, and sat down on one of the benches.

I finished buying my dress, and turned around to see Edward standing behind me.

"This will look great with Converses." I said.

"Converses?" He asked, laughing. "Your homecoming ensemble just keeps getting weirder by the second."

"And I'm thinking I'm going to do my hair really messy. Kind of like sex hair or something."

"Sex hair?"

"Why not?" I said. "Maybe you could give me some lessons."

He laughed.

"What?" I asked. "How was that funny?"

"I thought you didn't want to have sex with me." He said.

"Where did you get that from?" I asked, laughing a little myself.

"You told me I should give you lessons on how to get sex hair."

"Stupid, I said that because you have sex hair."

"I have sex hair?" He asked, but of course he knew what I was talking about.

"Um, yeah...that's what I'd call this." I said, ruffling his hair a bit.

"Hey, don't touch the hair..ok?"

"You are such a dork."

"It kind of comes with being so gorgeous." He said.

I laughed.

"Ok Bella, if you want me to have sex with you before homecoming so that way your hair looks the way you want it too...you're out of luck."

I laughed again. "Why am I out of luck?"

"Well for one I have a girlfriend." He said, leaning against one of the store windows. "So I would be cheating on her if I did that."

"Yes you would." I said, looking over at Brandon.

"And two, I wouldn't want to give you the satisfaction of that." He said, before quickly walking away.

"You think that would satisfy me?" I called after him.

He turned around and started walking backwards. "Why wouldn't it? I mean look at _this_." He said, motioning to his body. "This is amazing."

I laughed. "I think it would satisfy you a lot more than it would satisfy me!"

"Maybe your right." He said, smiling. And then he winked at me before he took off outside the mall.

I starred at him with my mouth wide open. That boy had issues, _serious_ issues.

But gosh did I love him.

* * *

**So did you like it? Sorry for it being so long! I thought about separating it into two parts, and including the whole shopping experience in the next chapter, but I thought it would flow better if I put all of it into one chapter. For visual reference...I have links to all of the dresses that Natasha and Bella tried on throughout the chapter on my profile. You can look at those if you'd like.**

**Secondly, I obviously do not own Deal or No Deal, I just love the show, so I thought I'd mention it. :) **

**And last but not least, the winner of the E-bay fork contest was jmegirl94. I liked her idea, since Edward is so full of himself, why not buy his own fork? So thanks for the idea jmegirl94!**

**Please leave a review if you have time, and thank you very much for reading!**

**~Hazl~**


	7. Chapter 7

**Guys I'm incredibly sorry for not updating sooner. I've had a whole bunch of complicated homework (mostly math) for several nights now that takes up a lot of my evening, I've been helping decorate the house for the holidays, I'm also helping prepare the house for a visit from a relative out of state, I've had show choir practice most nights, birthdays in the family, relatives in the hospital, a minor case of writer's block, and I've been dealing with getting over my crush of over two years here recently which has left me in a very blah mood and I can't bring myself to sit down and write. So I felt I owed a chapter to you guys, since you have been such lovely devoted readers. Ha but then get this. I must have terrible luck or something with writing these chapters, because I finally found the opportunity to sit and type something up, and I didn't have too much material yet, but most of the first half was finished....and get this....I accidentally hit a search button on my Google tool bar because I was researching what the weather is like in Phoenix for this chapter, and nothing was saved, so I lost it all and had to retype it. Ugh, bad luck for me. So regardless, here is this chapter now, and I'm so terribly sorry for making you wait so long!**

**This is the homecoming dance chapter! As I was proofreading the second half...I was listening to Good Girls Go Bad by Cobra Starship. Why? I don't know...but you could try it if you'd like...lol. :D  
**

* * *

**Chapter 7**

There wasn't anything else truly exciting that happened in the weeks leading up to homecoming. The only thing that really stood out in my mind during that time period were the writing assignments we had in Miss Lovely's class. We got a new one every week, and each week Edward seemed to struggle with it more.

Don't get me wrong, Edward has good writing skills. He has such an immense understanding of the English language. He knows how to spell, how to word things, and his grammar is incredibly proper. It would have to be, knowing the way his dad speaks and all. Edward's writing downfall is the lack of connection to his writing. He writes something, and he reads it...but you can't really believe it, and you can't really feel it. It's especially hard to believe in his writing since _he_ doesn't even believe in it. You can't help but admire the wording of whatever it is he's writing about, but It's just very hard to connect with something he writes.

Of course I think everyone was getting kind of sick of the assignments Miss Lovely was giving us. They were all really easy to tell you the truth. And each new assignment revolved around something happy. For one of the assignments, we had to draw pieces of paper out of a hat that had different happy moments in life on them, and that's what we had to write about. I had to write about "a first kiss"...ironically enough. Our assignments weren't the only overly happy thing either, anything we read, and anything else we worked on was super easy and had a very happy mood about it.

However, despite the continuously happy assignments, I really liked Miss Lovely and her class. I think she was very intelligent for being as young as she was. She knew a lot about the English language, and you could tell that she really wanted to help us kids understand it better as well. You could also tell that she felt really bad for Edward, like she just wanted him to be able to write something amazing. I can't blame her, because I understand the frustration of trying to get Edward to write something that seems so easy, and he just won't get it. She wants to understand why he can't write, and do anything she can to help him. She's tried, like many English teachers before her have done...but unlike them she didn't give up on Edward right away. She kept trying to help, even when it seemed like helping him was impossible.

Which it may be that writing could possibly be the one thing in this world Edward Cullen cannot totally rock at.

We won our homecoming football game by one touchdown in double overtime. Denver threw the winning touchdown pass to another teammate seconds before the game was over. Since he was viewed as the hero of the night, he declared there was a party at his house. Natasha, Haley, and I hung out at the party for a little while before we went to Natasha's house to stay the night. Natasha woke us up at five in the morning to start getting ready, and I swear...if she wasn't one of my best friends, and it wasn't illegal, I would have killed her.

I didn't require much preparation for the dance. I showered, put on my dress, really overdid it with the eyeliner, and fluffed my hair a little bit. I spent the rest of the day helping Natasha get ready, since she needed her hair curled, her nails done, etc. I was slightly aggravated when Natasha informed me I'd have to wear a tiara, but was a little happier when I discovered it was no where near as elaborate as her full-out crown. And she told me I could take it off once the actual dance got underway, so that pleased me.

We left her house shortly before five in the afternoon. The actual dance didn't start until seven, and the court didn't have to be there until six, but Natasha had some last-minute decorations she wanted to hang up. We were the only people at the school when we arrived, none of the teachers were even there yet. Thank goodness Natasha had her keys to the school so that we could get in.

Yes Natasha has keys to the school. Why wouldn't she...she practically lives there.

"It is freezing out here!" Haley exclaimed as we finished unloading the last box from Natasha's trunk.

"It's like sixty degrees Haley." Natasha said.

"Yeah you have no room to talk, you're wearing a jacket!"

"Maybe you should have worn a jacket as well."

"Nah, it would throw off my outfit."

We both laughed at her. Haley had made her own dress for the dance, of course. It was a bright metallic silver dress, and it was fairly short in length. The top part was black, but the bottom part that was silver had different colored feathers all down the dress. She had a matching black feathered headpiece stuck to the side of her head, and I was pretty sure she was wearing bright purple eye shadow.

I couldn't really argue with Haley, it was a little cold outside. Of course, I had neglected in bringing a jacket as well.

"Ok, we need to take these boxes to the gym." Natasha said, pointing to the three boxes at our feet. "Bella can you handle that one closest to you?"

I attempted to lift the box she was talking about. It was heavy, but not too bad. "Yeah it should be ok."

"I'll take this one." She said, pointing to the largest box. "Haley get that one over there."

As we all proceeded to pick up our respective boxes and head into the school, we heard a car pull into the parking lot. And what do you know, it was a silver Volvo.

All of us stopped what we were doing and starred at him walking in our direction. Seeing him walk our way was like watching him in the movies. He was wearing a black tux with a black dress shirt underneath and a dark green tie. The wind was blowing his jacket just slightly, and it appeared as though he was walking in slow motion.

"Good evening ladies." He said, standing across from me. "How are you tonight?"

"Fantastic." Natasha said, sighing dreamily.

"A little gassy, but other than that...pretty freaking good." Haley responded, not looking away from Edward.

"Fine until you showed up." I said.

Edward laughed. "I'm glad to see you're in a good mood Bella."

"You're here, how can I be in a good mood?"

"We're just gonna go ahead and go inside." Natasha said, motioning Haley to pick up her box as they headed towards the gym entrance.

"What are you doing here so early?" I asked him, practically ignoring the departure of my friends.

"I think the real question is what are _you_ doing here so early?"

"Natasha wants to hang up some decorations."

"Didn't she do that yesterday?"

"She wanted to hang up more I guess."

He nodded his head. "Sounds like her."

"Yeah she's kind of stupid." I said, leaning against Natasha's car.

Then I felt something hit my face, and when I pulled it off of me to see what it was, I saw it was Edward's tux jacket.

"Why?" I asked, holding it up to him.

"Don't argue, just put it on." He instructed, and I did as he said. His jacket smelled just like him, it was _amazing_. It was a little big on me though, which prompted him to laugh.

"Shut up." I said, examining how long the sleeves were.

He still continued laughing. "I didn't say a word."

"For once."

"What are you implying Bella? That I like to talk?"

"I don't know why I would ever try to imply such a _false_ statement." I said sarcastically.

He laughed again, picked up the box beside me, and started walking towards the entrance.

"I could have carried that myself you know." I said.

"Yes you could have, but you would have ended up hurting yourself."

"How?" I asked, helping prove his point as I tripped over thin air, which also sent him into a fit of hysteric laughter.

"I think you just answered your own question."

I opened the door for him, I really shouldn't have, but I did anyway. "So I'm clumsy...big deal. I'm sorry I'm not as perfect as you."

"Yeah...no one is as perfect as me. I'm pretty much a big deal."

"Your catch phrase is super annoying."

"Your face is super annoying." He fired back, placing his box down on the floor near the door.

"No, _your_ face is super annoying."

"Your mom is super annoying." He said.

"Your writing is super annoying." I shot back, trying to think of more things about him that annoyed me. That was quite a long list.

"Your picking on my writing is super annoying."

"Your voice is super annoying."

"Everything about you is super annoying."

"Your girlfriend is super annoying!" I said, a little louder than the other things, which caused Natasha and Haley to turn and look at us.

"Ha, really Bella?" He asked. "Bringing Rose into this again?"

"Why not?" I asked, shrugging my shoulders. "Bringing her up seems to insult you quite well."

"You got that right." He whispered, thinking I couldn't hear him.

"What?" I asked.

"What?" He said in response, acting like he had no idea what I was talking about. Before I could say anything else he walked over to where Natasha was hanging up decorations. He asked her where she wanted the box we brought in, and she directed him over to the opposite corner of the room.

The four of us worked on the remaining decorations, and managed to finish before anyone else arrived. Around five thirty and approaching close to six, the teachers and other court members started showing up. A few random parents of members on the court were showing up too, but I made my mom promise to not show up until seven. I wasn't sure if she would actually listen to me or not.

Edward and I were sitting in the bleachers waiting for people to arrive. We kept pinching each other's arms like little kids would do. However no one else found this odd since they knew the way we acted around one another.

When Edward had pinched me really hard, I smacked him as hard as I could and he rubbed his arm...pretending like he was in great pain. I think he was fine, he was simply making it seem worse than it really was. Right after that, Denver, Kyle and Brandon walked our way and Edward stood up to do his handshake with them. Well, at least with Kyle and Denver. I examined the spot on my arm where he pinched me before I got up as well. I offered a sweet smile towards Brandon, which caused him to blush in embarrassment.

"So Cullen my man. When you have to dance with my girl...please keep it under control." Denver advised, but you could tell he was teasing.

"Don't worry Denver, I'm not going to try and steal Natasha from you." He said, looking at me. "I'm happily seeing Rosalie."

I noticed that Brandon kept looking at Edward, then me, then Edward again, and then me, like he was trying to figure something out.

"Brandon dude...what's up with you?" Denver asked, noticing him as well.

Brandon pointed at me and looked over at Edward. "Is that your jacket?"

Edward looked down at himself, noticing the absence of his tux jacket. "Yeah."

"Why is Bella wearing it?"

I wanted to laugh so bad, but I just decided to see what kind of crazy excuse Edward was gonna come up with.

"I was like..._really hot_ because we were hanging up decorations." He said, pointing to the new decorations that were placed throughout the gym. "So I threw my jacket into the bleachers for the time being. Bella wasn't doing much work since she's clumsy and can't operate a ladder very well, so she was actually kind of cold. She asked me if she could wear my jacket and I told her sure, I'd just burn it later."

"Oh, I see." Brandon said, seeming relieved, and he walked away without another word. Kyle and Denver stuck around a little longer before they took off to go admire Natasha.

"You are full of freaking crap." I said to Edward, laughing a bit.

He smiled. "Why do you say that?"

"You were hot? I'm too clumsy to operate a ladder? You're gonna burn this jacket later? Couldn't you have just told Brandon you gave me your jacket to wear?"

"No I couldn't have." He said. "For one he would have beat me up, and two that wouldn't have been as fun of an explanation."

"You were hot? Really?"

"I was hot, am hot, and forever will be hot."

"You were a moron, are a moron, and forever will be a moron."

"That wasn't very nice now...was it Bella?" He asked, grinning at me.

"You should become a professional liar or something." I said, shaking my head in disgust.

"I am, it's called an actor."

"The weird thing is he bought it."

"Bella of course he bought it!" He exclaimed, looking at me like I was stupid or something. "For goodness sakes I'm _Edward Cullen_! I could have told him that hot pink rabid hippos came in the gym, held me at gun point, stole my jacket, gave it to you, and fled the state in a hot air balloon and he would have believed me! That's how good of an actor I am."

"I _doubt_ he would have believed that." I said.

"Ha ya wanna bet? I lost my phone once when I was twelve, and my dad asked me where it was. I told him that I was outside watching these squirrels in the tree beside our house, and one of them ran down, grabbed my phone, and ran away with it."

"That's actually fairly believable." I said.

"Or just last year, I wasn't really supposed to go to this party one of my costars was having at their house because there was gonna be drinking there and stuff, and my parents just didn't want me around that stuff, but I went anyway. It's not like I was gonna drink or anything, but they still didn't want me to go."

"Yeah right."

"Yeah right what?"

"You didn't drink?"

"I didn't...now can I finish my story?"

I groaned and folded my arms across my chest. "Fine."

" Anyway, Alice was mad at me for telling dad she used his credit card to buy ten thousand dollars worth of makeup, so she came to the party and told mom and dad I was there. When I got home I put on this whole act like I had just woke up from unconsciousness. I convinced them that I was in the bathroom getting ready to go to Rose's, when I slipped on some grape soda Emmett spilled in there, fell...and passed out, suffered from temporary memory loss and completely forgot who I was. In this forgetfulness, I went to the party, but when I went outside and ran into the tree, my memory came back, and I came home." He smiled. "And to make sure I covered all my tracks, I told them there probably wasn't any kind of grape soda spill in my bathroom since Leo said his dog ran away from him, must have used his key to get in my room, and was licking up the spill on my bathroom floor."

"They bought that?"

"They bought that." He said, looking mighty proud of himself. "I'm awesome like that."

"Wow."

"Of course that's nothing." He said, leaning against the hand railing along the bleachers. "I've had to put on a lot bigger acts than that in my lifetime."

"Really?" I asked, handing him his jacket back. "Like what?"

He didn't say anything, he just looked down at the ground and shrugged his jacket back on. "Nothing really." He finally said, before walking away.

I didn't get him sometimes. He could be so extremely happy one second, and the next...he'd almost slip into some sort of depressed state. It was odd. Then it would only take a little while, and he'd bounce back and recover.

There was something to Edward Cullen that I believed no one else really knew about, I wasn't sure what it was, but I had to find out.

In the meantime, the dance was close to underway.

* * *

Edward seemed to recover quickly. How did I know this? He was trying to draw on me with the permanent marker he kept in his pocket. Thank goodness he didn't succeed, or I would have had to hurt him.

My being on the homecoming court and also being one of the clumsiest people in the world is a recipe for embarrassment. I tripped a total of three times, and my tiara fell off of my head. To add to the uncomfortable situation, Brandon was clinging onto my arm really tight, like he was afraid someone would take me away from him if he didn't keep a hold of me.

After the parents took about a thousand pictures of us, the court had to go out and start the first dance. Gosh Brandon was so excited to be dancing with me I swore he probably wet himself. Edward and Natasha weren't dancing too far away from us, and Denver was trying to keep in close proximity.

Once my eyes drifted over to Edward and Natasha, Edward's eyes caught mine. As soon as he saw he had my attention, he leaned in towards Natasha and whispered something. Then he looked up at me and whispered something to her again, like he was just trying to make me mad.

Heck I figured two could play that game, so I tried to direct Brandon closer to the two of them before I decided to give Edward a taste of his own medicine.

I looked over at Edward, and he was looking at me, so once I was sure he wouldn't look away...I pulled myself closer to Brandon and wrapped my arms tighter around his neck.

"You look very handsome tonight Brandon...you know?" I said, trying not to push it too far. I didn't want to get his hopes up or anything.

"Really?" He asked, blushing again. "You look pretty good too."

At that moment Edward pulled Natasha a little closer to him as well, but I knew he wasn't going to take this as far as I was going to.

I raised one of my hands and gently rested it on Brandon's face. "I'm so glad you got to be paired with me."

"Me too Bella, me too." Brandon said, looking happier than a kid on Christmas morning.

I was just hoping the song would end soon so I didn't have to continue with this little charade. Luckily for me, it was over in a few more seconds, and then it was time for members of the court to dance with their parents.

My mom and I actually ended up dancing together, rather than me and Phil. Dad obviously didn't come, I swear he wouldn't have left Forks even if I was getting married or something. Not because he didn't love me, just because Forks was like his security blanket or something.

After my mom and I finished dancing together she found some friends of her and Phil's to go talk to. Everyone else's parents were filing out of the gym, and some of the kids had started to dance. I couldn't find Haley, Natasha, Denver, Kyle, Brandon, or anyone in the crowd, so I was pushing through people in search of familiar faces. In the process I threw my tiara into the bleachers beside Natasha's jacket.

"Bella!" I heard someone call behind me, and I turned around to see who it was.

"Esme!" I cried excitedly, hugging Edward's mother. "What are you doing here?"

"Well I couldn't miss Edward's senior homecoming, especially when he was the king!" She exclaimed. She looked me over after she released me from our embrace. "Goodness Bella you have grown into a very beautiful young woman in two years time."

I blushed. "Thanks. I don't really think so."

"Oh please, I always thought you were a beautiful girl." She said, smiling at me sweetly. "I just can't believe you guys are seniors. I mean Edward...my little baby boy...a senior!"

I couldn't help but laugh a little. Alice was Esme's youngest child, yet she seemed to treat Edward like he was the youngest. "Yeah it's defiantly a shock."

"Have you thought about what your doing when you get out of school?" She asked.

"Um, not a lot. I know I want to do something with English, whether I'm teaching it or writing it or whatever."

"Very nice." She said.

"Well Bella, I see you found my mom." I heard Edward say, and I turned around to notice that he had his arm wrapped around my shoulders. He had taken his jacket and tie off, and rolled the sleeves up on his dress shirt.

"More like she found me." I said, not bothering to shrug his arm off of me.

"We were just talking about how grown up you kids are." Esme said, smiling at the two of us.

"Yep, it's so crazy to think I'm going to be nineteen in June." He said.

"Please don't remind me sweetheart." Esme said, almost looking as if she was going to cry.

Edward laughed a little and looked at me. "Does your mom act like this?"

"Not really." I said, laughing a little as well.

Esme seemed to pull herself together before refocusing her attention on Edward. "I was just telling Bella how beautiful she's became over the past two years...don't you agree sweetheart?"

I looked up at Edward with a devilish grin on my face.

He laughed awkwardly. "Ha, mom...mom, mom, mom, mom, mom. Shouldn't you be heading like...I don't know..home or something?"

"I wanted to say something to Bella's mom first." She said. "Bella where is your mom at?"

"Over there with Phil." I said, pointing toward the other end of the room.

"I'm going to go talk to her, and then I'll head home." She said to Edward, smiling at him. "I'll see you tonight dear."

"Alright mom." He said, smiling at her as well. "No one else came with you right?"

She shook her head. "Nope, I'm alone. Your dad was going to try and come, but he couldn't find the time off work."

"Ok." He said, walking away from me and over to his mom. He hugged her and said goodbye before he turned back to me. "What?" He asked.

"Momma's boy." I called, skipping away to join Haley, who I now saw standing by the refreshments.

"Hey Haley." I said, watching her as she starred intently at the punch bowl. "May I ask what you're looking at?"

"The punch."

"Yeah I gathered that, but what are you looking at in the punch?"

"The lack of feathers."

"There generally aren't feathers in punch Haley...ya know?"

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" She declared, as her voice rang throughout the room.

"You could rip a few feathers off of your dress and throw them in there."

"Are you kidding me! The punch is not worth ruining this valuable dress!"

"Haley that dress cost you less than twenty dollars to make."

"It's not the amount of money put into the dress that determines the value...but the amount of feathers presented on the dress that proves its worth."

"That makes perfect sense." I said, picking up a cookie and nibbling on it. The safest place for me to be during a dance was the snack table. The dance floor and I do not mix.

"This dress would be worth about ten tons of birdseed."

"So the value of the dress isn't determined in money, but in birdseed?"

"Of course." She said, like I should know this.

"I see. So when you have all those boutiques in New York and stuff, are you going to make your customers pay you in birdseed?"

"Nah, because birdseed doesn't buy anything in this society. It's about as ridiculous as no feathers in the punch."

"Of course." I said, when I suddenly jumped up in the air because I felt something cold slide down the back of my dress. I shook a little bit and an ice cube fell out of my dress and onto the floor. I heard someone laughing at me and didn't even have to turn around to know who it was.

"Haley, Edward just put a freaking ice cube down my back." I whispered to her.

"Sweet...was it cold?"

"Haley...it was an ice cube! Of course it was cold!"

"He could have melted it with his hotness!"

"Sure he could have." I said, looking over at him. He was hanging out with his friends in the opposite corner of the room. "I'm gonna beat him at his own game." I said, taking a hand full of ice out of the punch bowl and shaking my hand to remove some of the excess punch.

"Get me some coleslaw while you're at it...mkay girlfriend?" Haley called after me.

This comment required me to stop in the middle of the dance floor and look at her like she was stupid. "Haley...I'm not going to KFC or anything...I'm walking across the gym."

"I promise I haven't been drinking tonight, it's just Pixie Sticks." She said with a huge grin on her face.

I shook my head and walked away.

"Love you!" She called.

"Love you too." I said, not bothering to look back at her. Once I approached Edward his friends stopped their conversation with him.

"Well hello Bella." He said, taking a step forward.

"Edward...do you enjoy shoving ice cubes down my back or what?"

"What makes you think I did that?"

"Maybe because you're the only person in this room that hates my guts."

"Ha, I doubt that."

"That really, really hates my guts."

"You looked a little hot, I thought I'd help cool you off." He said with an evil grin.

I showed him my handful of ice cubes.

"Oh my gosh...what are you gonna do...throw them at me?"

"Nope." I said, yanking off someone's hat beside me and placing the ice cubes in them. Edward and all his friends offered me many confused expressions.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

I didn't respond, instead I shoved the hat down on his head. "You look a little hot-headed...thought I'd cool you down." I said, offering him my best evil grin before running away.

The look on his face was priceless as I walked away to rejoin Haley at the snack table. He made his way over to the DJ booth and took the mic.

"Hey does anyone in here happen to have a hair dryer on them?" He asked.

"I do!" One girl called, running up to Edward and handing him her hairdryer.

I was laughing at him, and he obviously saw me, because that dumb grin spread across his face again.

"Oh and one more thing, Bella Swan is eighteen and has still never been kissed before. Thank you." He declared before literally running to the bathroom. Good thing to, or I would have really hurt him.

He returned a few minutes later and retreated to his safe haven of friends. Haley and I remained by the snack table while she continued to ponder why there weren't any feathers in the punch. I was growing quite bored actually, and was debating about going home early.

However, things spiced up a little bit when I swore I felt someone grab my butt. I turned to Haley because I thought maybe she had done it to be stupid, but when I heard Edward laughing somewhere nearby, I knew who the real culprit was.

"Did he just grab my butt?" I asked Haley, rubbing my butt as Edward and his friends seemed to be laughing at me.

"Yes, yes he did. Bella girl he wants your body!" She screamed.

"Shush Haley! Not so loud!" I looked back at Edward and his friends. They were still laughing at me. "What do I do?"

"Do what I would do. Grab his butt back."

"What?" I asked in shock.

"Yeah, he'd never expect it from you. And you'd _really_ enjoy it."

"As true as that may be, that would be pushing it a little far don't you think?"

"Nope." She said, smiling.

I looked over at Edward. "Ok...I'll do it." I said, taking a deep breath and trying to nonchalantly walk in that direction. I waited for a little while until Edward was facing away from me, then I quickly ran up behind him and grabbed his butt, and tried my best to run away before he saw me. He didn't turn around to look at me until I was almost half way back to Haley, but you could tell he knew it was me. He didn't say anything though and just continued talking to his friends.

Haley and I passed some time by going into the art room so she could find some feathers. She took a few of them out of this box, and the two of us ran down the hall leading back into the gym. Haley threw the feathers we got into the punch bowl, and after she did that, she was quite pleased with herself.

"It looks so pretty doesn't it Bella?"

"Oh yeah Haley, I'd so pay fifty tons of birdseed for that bowl of punch."

She looked at me with a happy expression on her face. "You would?"

"Totally." I said, folding my arms across my chest. It was at that point in time that Haley got a huge grin on her face.

"What?" I asked her, trying to understand why she was smiling.

She pointed behind me. "Turn around."

I did as she said, only to discover Edward was standing right behind me.

"Edward...gosh you scared me." I said, since I really wasn't expecting him to be there. "What do you want?"

He smiled and placed one hand on the snack table. "Dance with me." He said.

Just the way he said those three words sent my heart racing. It's not like he came up to me and asked if I would like to dance, he just simply stated it. And the way he said it, with his gorgeous velvet voice was wonderful enough.

"Is that a request or a demand?" I asked him. "It sounded more like a demand to me."

"It doesn't matter what it sounded like, you're dancing with me." He said, taking my hand and dragging me out to the _exact_ center of the dance floor. We passed Brandon on our way there, and I could tell he didn't look very happy.

Edward didn't say anything else as he placed his hands on my waist. I awkwardly wrapped my arms around his neck, and tried to avoid looking right at him.

He laughed a little. "See this isn't so bad...is it?"

"That's what you think."

"Most girls would kill to be in the position you're in right now. You're quite lucky."

"Why don't I feel lucky then?" I asked, allowing myself to look at him.

"Bella, Bella, Bella. You are at your senior homecoming, dancing with Edward Cullen. I would say you're pretty lucky."

"I just see this situation as my being thrown into even deeper embarrassment."

"Dancing with me is embarrassing?"

"Not necessarily dancing with you, but dancing in general."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, I'm so clumsy I can't operate a ladder."

He laughed. "You seem to be doing quite fine."

"Yeah I bet you've had professional dance lessons or something."

"No, this talent just comes naturally." He said. "Like all of my talents do."

"Aren't you perfect?"

"Yes, yes I am."

I laughed a little, tightening my arms around his neck, which pulled me slightly closer to him. "Why are you so full of yourself?"

"Bella...have you ever looked at me?"

"Nope, never in my life have I ever set my eyes on you."

He laughed. "I think that would be reason enough."

"So you're full of yourself because your good looking?"

"Well that's not the only reason, but it's most of it, yes."

"That's really weird you know?"

"What's weird?"

"To love yourself so much. Most people at least hate one thing about themselves, or they have a little bit of a self confidence issue. But you don't...you love everything about you."

"There's not really anything to hate." He said."Like you told me, I'm perfect."

"It's still weird though. Like Natasha for example...she's one of the most beautiful girls I know, but she thinks her legs are too long, and her hair is too blah...she thinks she has flaws..you don't."

"How can I think I have flaws that don't exist?" He said with a smile.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I dunno."

"What flaws do you think you have?" He asked.

"Gosh Edward don't even get me started."

"Is it a long list?"

"A very long list."

"Tell me a few."

I sighed. "I'm way too pale, I'm not muscular enough, I'm too clumsy, my hair always looks like crap, I have a temper sometimes, and I'm just flat out ugly."

"Really? Are you sure about all of that?"

"Yes...I am."

"Why?"

"Well...Edward." I said finding myself getting closer to him again. "I've never had a real boyfriend for one. I obviously must be ugly if that's the case."

"Not necessarily." He said, resting his forehead on mine. "Maybe there's a guy out there that really likes you, but he doesn't want to say anything to you about it since you have such strict regulations and all."

"Who are you talking about? Brandon?"

He laughed slightly. "Well, I don't think Brandon cares about your regulations. He just flat out likes you."

"Yeah and if looks could kill, you would so be dead right now." I said, and we both turned to look at Brandon who was starring at us intently.

"He's got some issues." He said, resting his head against mine again.

"Edward...whatever happened between you two?"

He sighed. "I don't know really. I think it's kind of odd that he doesn't want to have any kind of contact with me at all, since we were such good friends and all. Maybe he's still mad about how I left and didn't really give anyone any warning."

"Could it have something to do with jealousy?"

"Sure, Brandon's always been jealous of me. He was always number two, and I was number one. I had more money, more popularity, more girls that wanted to date me, a nicer car, better grades, etc."

"No, I mean do you think he's jealous of how much time you spend with me?"

He was quiet for a moment. "That's quite likely. I don't know why he would be..but it could be likely."

"What do you think about all that?" I asked him, starring into his amazing green eyes. I was getting lost in them again.

"About him being jealous of how much time I spend with you?"

"Yeah, about that."

He smiled his gorgeous smile. "He's just going to have to deal with it."

"Why's that?"

"Because I'm not going to spend any less time with you." He barely whispered, and I realized for the first time how really close we were to one another now. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath as I leaned in closer to him.

He obviously had the same idea as I did, because I felt our noses touch, and then the sensation of his lips barely brushing mine. My mind was racing with so many different thoughts, but the only thing I was really thinking about intently was how I wished nothing would interrupt this moment.

"No need to fear...the party's here!" Someone yelled really loud all of a sudden, and the moment was ruined. Edward and I both turned toward the gym entrance at the same time to see who had just spoke.

"Fantastic." Edward whispered, seeing who was there.

Edward's brother Emmett was standing in the doorway, wearing a old cut-off t-shirt and a pair of ripped up jeans.

He shook his head in disgust, but he was smiling. "Come on Bella, let's go greet my idiot of a brother."

"Ok." I said, having not fully recovered from our near kiss.

When we approached Emmett he wrapped Edward up in a tight hug. Then he saw me and about went ballistic.

"Bella!" He yelled, hugging me tight. "I missed you girl!"

"I missed you too Emmett." I choked out as he released me. Edward wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

"Emmett, may I ask what you're doing here? Mom said she came _alone_."

"Mom did, she doesn't know I'm here. I just thought...why not come back to Phoenix High and see my brother be the king of his homecoming dance?"

"Thanks Emmett, you picked a great time to visit...real great time...couldn't have been better even if you had shown up five minutes later." Edward rambled, and I looked up at him.

"Do I detect the fact that you don't want me here?" Emmett asked.

"No Emmett, I'm glad your here. I just don't understand why I guess."

"I was getting bored at home."

"You could have went over to Rose's and harassed her a bit."

"I did that a lot this week." He said, looking pleased with himself.

"What?" I asked, looking at the two of them for an explanation.

"Emmett has a thing for Rosalie." Edward told me. "He flirts with her constantly. She hates it."

"She's my true love." Emmett said, seeing someone across the room that he knew and taking off in a dead sprint.

"He's drunk isn't he?" I asked.

"When is Emmett not drunk?" Edward said, leading me back out onto the dance floor.

"So Emmett likes your girlfriend, and that doesn't bother you?"

"No." He said, placing his hands on my waist again. "She hates him...so I have no reason to worry there. Besides, Emmett's basically harmless."

I simply laughed and found myself resting my head on Edward's chest. The dance was coming close to an end, and the last few songs were starting to play.

"Does your family visit much?" I asked after a while.

"Yeah, quite a bit. Mom comes every couple of weeks or so. Emmett's been up here a few times too. Alice and Dad haven't found the time to come yet though, with school and work and all."

"Does Rosalie come?" I asked.

"No, she's um...busy with filming."

I lifted my head up a bit to look him in the eye. "Filming or sleeping around?"

He shook his head and sighed. "Both probably."

"And doesn't that bother you?"

"Of course it does." He said, resting his chin on the top of my head. "But she's gonna do it whether she's with me or someone else, so what's the use?"

"May I ask why you even stick with her after everything she's done to you?"

He was quiet for a moment before he spoke again. "Love is blind I guess."

"You love her?" I asked.

"Yes, I do." He said, and neither one of us spoke for a while after that.

"I think you're stupid to tell you the truth." I said, breaking the silence.

He actually laughed a bit. "Wow, you've never told me that before."

I smacked his chest lightly. "Shut up, this is a serious matter."

"Ok, I'm sorry. Please tell me why I'm stupid."

"You're just stupid for sticking with her. I mean even if you do love her...why stay with her?"

"Maybe because I keep hoping that she's going to change?"

"Edward I hate to break it to you, but she's not going to change."

"You're not the only person that's told me that."

"I'm not surprised." I said. "Look, I know you said that you love her, but do you think she loves you?"

"Well, she says she does, but yet again...she is an actress."

"So you think she doesn't love you?"

"Yeah, I do."

I shook my head. "I don't understand you."

"Why don't you understand me?"

"I guess I just don't understand why you'd stay with her after everything she has done to you."

"I'm stupid I guess." He said with a smile as the last song ended. Everyone rushed to gather up their jackets and other belongings, and dashed out of the gym entrance all at once. I walked with Edward over to the entrance, even though I was going to stay at the school and help Natasha tear down decorations.

"So what are you going to do tonight now that the dance is over?" I asked him.

"Denver's having another party at his house tonight. I think I'll stop there for a little while and then head home to get some sleep. I'll probably do something with mom and Emmett tomorrow. What about you?"

"Well I'm gonna stay here and help Natasha tear down, and then her and Haley are coming to stay at my house. We were gonna go to the mall or something tomorrow."

"Sounds fun." He said, handing his jacket to me.

"What is this for?"

"Well it's even colder outside now, and you're not wearing as much as me. I think you need it more."

I laughed as I shrugged his jacket on. "Is this like _our_ jacket or something?"

"Sure, think whatever you'd like." He said, placing both hands on the wall behind me so that he could lean over me. "You know, that dress didn't turn out looking too bad."

"What do you mean?" I asked as I smiled at him.

"It looks really nice on you." He said, smiling at me as well.

"Edward that may be the nicest thing that you have ever said to me."

"Wow, if that's the nicest thing I've ever said to you, I must be really mean."

I laughed. "You are actually."

He leaned in closer to me and didn't bother addressing that issue further. "Goodnight Bella."

"Goodnight Edward." I said, closing my eyes again as I felt his breath fan softly against my face.

This time was the same as the others, it seemed like time passed very slowly until I'd feel his lips brush against mine, but this time I really thought we were going to kiss. However, we didn't...because all of a sudden, Haley took my hand, dragged me away from Edward, and started babbling about how awesome it was she'd get to keep the feathers she threw in the punch.

In my shock of suddenly being drug away from almost kissing Edward, I looked back and saw him getting ready to leave the gym. He just kind of laughed at me before Denver came over to him and jumped up in the air, and him and the rest of his friends left the room.

I still hadn't recovered when Haley, Natasha and I left, and I was still in a bit of shock as we got ready for bed. I had already yelled at Haley for her interruption, but I wasn't really mad at her, because she's Haley and she just doesn't know any better.

I was the last one out of the three of us to fall asleep, which wasn't totally unusual since that was normally the case. But that particular night I had so many thoughts rushing through my mind, it was about driving me insane.

I had seen two different sides to Edward all in one night. The usual side of him, which was his joking, playful, annoying self. Then the other side was a different one that I had never really seen before until he came back from LA. It was a sadder side, that seemed to be brought out by the mention of certain topics, and it was kind of peculiar. He was teasing me one second, and the next second he was super nice to me.

I was also deeply affected by the two near kisses I had experienced that night. I wasn't sure why we both kept trying to kiss one another. I knew I wanted to kiss him, but I was certain he didn't want to kiss me...he loved Rosalie...he even said so.

Edward was hard to understand, that's for sure. That's why it was so much easier to hate him instead of love him. Loving him makes me so confused.

Hating him is actually sort of fun.

* * *

**So what did you guys think? I hoped you enjoyed it! Sorry if everything seemed a little rushed, I was trying to fit a lot of stuff in one chapter! If you thought this chapter lacked humor, don't worry...the next one will have plenty! I will try and get an update up sooner next time, but if I don't it's due to my crazy life, lol. **

**If you would like to see what Haley's dress, and Natasha and Bella's crowns look like...I have links on my page for you to look at. :)**

**Thank you for reading!  
**

**~Hazl~**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you guys for all of your wonderful reviews from the last chapter! I really enjoyed reading them! And because of all of you lovely readers...this story has received over 100 reviews! Thank you guys so much for your continued dedication! :)**

* * *

**Chapter 8**

When we returned to school on Monday everyone was tired because of homecoming weekend. Most of the teachers seemed to understand this, so we didn't get too much homework that day. Also, not to my surprise at all...the whole school was buzzing about the fact that Edward and I had danced together at homecoming. However no one mentioned our two near-kisses, so I was pretty sure those went unnoticed.

Edward was back to being a jerk on Monday, as always. It was one of the camera crew days, so they were following him to every class. The camera crew was just sort of annoying when they first started showing up, but now they're super annoying. They're also constantly wanting to film me, especially on days when I'd rather not be filmed, let alone be seen in public. Edward says it's because the fans like me, and they want more of me in the show. I really don't give a crap what his freaking fans think of me, just keep the cameras off of my face and it will all be just fine.

We were sitting in Miss Lovely's room before class started, all just hanging out. I was talking to Natasha and Haley, while Edward decided to tell Denver and Kyle how Jessica Alba was ten times hotter in person.

"So do you guys know what you're wearing to the Halloween dance yet?" Natasha asked Haley and I.

"Yeppers." Haley replied. "I've got my costume all planned out. I think I'm gonna start working on it tonight."

"What about you Bella?" Natasha asked me.

I shrugged. "I don't even know if I'm going."

"Why not?"

"I don't know why, I'm just not sure if I want to go."

"You seemed to have a lot of fun at homecoming."

"Yeah, you danced with Eddiekins!" Haley said, a little too loudly in fact, because Edward turned his head in our direction.

"Didn't you like that?" Natasha asked. "And you almost kissed him too."

"Twice." Haley threw in.

"I know I did. But just because he danced with me at homecoming doesn't mean he'll make the Halloween dance an enjoyable experience."

"Well no matter what Edward does, you should still go." Natasha encouraged me.

"I make your costume." Haley said, pointing her pencil at me. "You too." She said to Natasha. "Wadda want?"

Natasha thought for a moment. "I want something cute, and something that really suits me."

"I has the most perfect idea ever!" Haley screamed, scribbling something down in her notebook. "I will show you costume when I has it all done."

"Ok Haley, just don't cover it in feathers." Natasha warned.

"I don't get you guys and your lack of fascination in feathers." She said, starting to doddle in her notebook.

"Hey Bella." Edward said, sitting down in his desk in front of me. "Are you going to the Halloween dance in a couple weeks?"

"Me and the girls were just talking about that." I said, motioning back to the two of them. "I told them I wasn't sure if I was going."

"Well you are, and you're going to go with me."

"I'm going to go with you? Like as your date or something?" I asked, looking across the room and noticing that Brandon was starring intensely in our direction.

"No I want you to walk in the door with me." He said with an edge of laughter to his voice. "Yes I want you to go with me as my date."

"Oh...ok."

"So is that a yes?"

"Um, sure it's a yes."

All of a sudden I heard a loud "snap" from across the room, and everyone turned around to see what it was. I couldn't help but laugh a little when I noticed that Brandon had just broke the metal bar on the side of his desk.

After we all starred at him for a moment, Edward turned his attention back to me.

"Ok then." He said, running one hand through his hair. "You can plan the costumes and stuff, but I have like..two conditions."

"What are they?"

"One, I have to be something sexy. Don't make me anything scary, stupid, or dorky. I know I'd look sexy if I showed up in a potato sack...but I would not suggest dressing me up in one."

"That was such an incredibly false sentence, but ok."

"Are you saying I'm not sexy?"

"I believe I am."

"I believe you couldn't be any more wrong."

"I believe I couldn't be any more correct."

He shook his head and laughed at me. "And number two, I don't want to wear any kind of hat or headpiece. It would mess up my hair."

I laughed. "Mess up your hair? You are afraid of messing up your hair?"

"Um...yeah?" He said, seeming confused.

"Why might I ask?"

"Because I don't want it messed up."

I laughed even more. "You have one of the messiest hairstyles in the world, yet you are afraid that you're gonna mess it up if you wear a hat or something."

"Yeah."

"Wow you are so not right at all."

"Great, so I think I'll pick you up around four and we can catch something to eat before the dance at seven."

"Nice way to change the subject." I said.

"Thanks." He said with a smile.

"Alright, that all sounds good. I will try and get Haley to make me something sexy." I said, turning to Haley. "You got that Hales?"

"Yep, something sexy for you and something extra sexy for Eddie boy...it's all in my notes."

"That's the only kind of stuff she takes notes about." I said, turning back around towards the front of the class as Miss Lovely entered the room.

Denver raised his hand before she ever got the chance to speak.

"Yes Denver?" She asked.

"Yeah um...Brandon broke the desk because he was like...ticked at Edward for some reason." Denver said, directing her attention to Brandon.

Brandon held up the metal bar he broke off. "Sorry?" He said, unsure of what to say.

Miss Lovely merely smiled. "It's ok Brandon, that bar was getting ready to break off anyway, just set it up here on my desk."

Brandon walked to the front of the room and put the bar on Miss Lovely's desk before he returned to his seat.

"So how was everyone's homecoming weekend?" She asked the class.

"Good." Everyone chimed all at once.

"Nice, very nice." She said. "Now today we're not going to do any journals or anything, we are merely going to discuss the next writing assignment."

Edward swore under his breath and I just had to laugh at him.

"I want to start by polling the class. How many of you thought the assignments we have been working on for the past month or so were easy?"

Nine out of ten people raised their hands. Edward was the only one who didn't.

"Ok, that's what I expected." She said. "Now tell me something else. How many of you enjoyed writing about the things we wrote about? The happy things."

Nine out of ten people raised their hands again.

"Alright." She said, pointing to Denver. "Denver tell me why you voted the way you did on both questions."

"Well." He said, leaning back in his seat. "I said that the assignments were easy because they were the only assignments I didn't have to beg Natasha to help me with, and I said I liked writing about them because besides the essay on bunnies, everything else was fun to write about."

"Thank you Denver." She said, nodding towards Haley. "What about you Haley?"

"Well I thoughts the assignments was supers easy because they were very easy to relate to, and I liked writing about happy things because I'm generally a happy person, unless you squirt glue in my leggings...then I get really angry."

"Wow I bet that would make an interesting story. And Haley dear, you really need to work on your grammar." Miss Lovely said, smiling at me. "Bella."

"Well I thought they were easy because like Haley said, everything was easy to relate to and even though you had to try and be a little creative, you really didn't need to over think things. I guess I liked writing about the happy things because they're something you experience and see every day and it's fun to write about."

"Very nice explanations everyone." She said, standing in front of Edward's desk. "What about you Edward? Why did you vote no?"

"Well, I voted that the assignments weren't easy because I can't write _anything_."

"Unless it's an autobiography." I said with a smirk plastered on my face.

"Oooh...Cullen she just schooled you!" Denver hollered.

"Thanks for the input Bella." Edward said to me.

"You're quite welcome." I replied.

"She's probably right as a matter of fact." Edward said as he sighed. "I don't know why I didn't think they were easy. I guess I just thought the exact opposite of everyone else. The subjects were hard to relate to and it wasn't really any fun."

"Alright." Miss Lovely said, nodding at his comment. She walked back toward the front of the room and leaned against her desk. "Now tell me something class...why do you think we did all of those happy writing assignments?"

She called on several of us, but she wasn't pleased with any of our answers, so she finally told us the reasoning behind them.

"I spent the last month assigning you guys these writing assignments with a happy atmosphere to prepare you for this assignment I am about to give you."

"Please tell me I don't have to write about bunnies again." Denver said.

"You most certainly don't have to write about bunnies if you don't want to Denver." Miss Lovely said in response to his question.

"It's gonna be a good day!" He exclaimed, before resting his head on the desk.

"Now you guys are all probably wondering how what we've been working on in class is going to tie into this assignment."

We all nodded our heads, remaining silent so she could explain everything to us.

"I was given the same assignment I am about to give you when I was in my sophomore English class in high school. Just like I did, my teacher spent well over a month giving us these very happy writing assignments to work on, and by the time that month was up, we had all grown sick of them because they were so easy. Then we came to class one day, and he gave us our new assignment, which threw us all for a loop. We all put a lot of thought, time, and dedication into it, because it was a lot more difficult than anything we had been previously working on."

"That's it...I'm dead." Edward whispered under his breath.

"Hallelujah!" I said loud enough so he could hear.

"Shut up Bella."

"Make me...Edward." I whispered so I didn't disturb Miss Lovely.

"My teacher put a lot of emphasis on this assignment, and none of us really understood why until he explained it to us. He said that because this was such an important assignment, that getting a one hundred percent on a paper was rare, and in his twenty-three years of teaching, he had only handed out five perfect grades on that particular assignment. It changed to six after our class."

"Why did it change to six?" I asked.

Miss Lovely smiled. "I managed to get the sixth perfect grade."

"Wow, you must have been very proud of yourself."

"I was, because I never expected I would get a perfect grade, but I did."

"So what does it take to get a perfect grade on this assignment?" Edward asked her.

"You have to capture the mood of the paper just right, you need to have good spelling, punctuation, and grammar, the paper has to be five pages long, and it has to really make a large impact on the people that read it."

"Five pages?" Denver exclaimed, lifting his head up. "I could barely write three!"

"Dude, use big font...problem solved." Kyle said.

"No Denver, don't be like Kyle and use huge font to cover five pages with one word, that won't get you a very good grade." Miss Lovely said.

"So what is the assignment about Miss Lovely?" Natasha asked.

Miss Lovely smiled again. "It can be about anything you wish, but it has to fit one very important piece of criteria."

"It has to rock your socks." Denver said.

"That wasn't it, but I guess that would be an important aspect to your writing." Miss Lovely said. "No, what your paper has to be is the exact opposite of what we were writing about before."

This statement received confused expressions from all ten of us.

"Let me go into further detail." She said. "The assignments we were writing before were all about happy, sweet, innocent, cheerful things...correct?"

"Yes." We all chimed at once.

"This writing assignment should not contain one of those emotions. This writing assignment is to be very dark."

Natasha raised her hand to get Miss Lovely's attention.

"Yes Natasha?" Miss Lovely asked.

"So you want the font color to be really dark...or the paper to be really dark?"

Denver smacked himself in the face. "Gosh Natasha, even I'm smart enough to know what she's talking about."

"Well which one is it?" She asked him, seeming very confused.

"Neither one Natasha, neither one." He said. "You are so stupid."

"Hey I'm the one going to _Harvard_ thank you very much Mr. Arizona U!" She snapped. "I just don't get how you can make the assignment dark."

"Natasha, she means that the assignment is going to be sort of sad." I explained, trying to help her out.

"Oh, so it has nothing to do with the color of the font...or the paper?"

"Nope...not at all." I said, as I smacked the back of Edward's head since he was laughing at her.

"Do we have that settled now?" Miss Lovely asked Natasha.

"Yep, all settled...please continue." Natasha said.

"This assignment should be free of happy, joyful emotions. It can contain any other dark emotion, such as sadness, anger, jealously, pain, and perhaps depression. I want it to lack happiness."

"So you want us to pretend we're depressed?" Denver asked.

"Not necessarily Denver. I just want you guys to write about something that isn't happy, something like the death of a family member, someone you dated for a long time breaking up with you, or loosing one of your favorite possessions."

"Why is writing in a darker sort of atmosphere harder than writing in a happy one?" I asked.

"I think you will all see over time as we dive deeper into this assignment why I say it's so hard, because you will actually experience it. The best reasoning I can provide for you on why it is so hard is quite simple. People usually like being happy, and are usually happy at least once during the average day. Being happy is a very easy emotion to experience because it's a nice, comfortable feeling. Therefore something happy is very easy to write about." She said, looking at Edward. "Well, usually it is."

"Yeah for me, the looser." He said to himself.

"Wow, I think you finally told the truth for once." I whispered.

"Hey Bella, if you are going to insult me..." He said. "...could you at least say it loud enough so the cameras can pick up on it?"

"Nah, because that would be helping you out, and I don't want to do that." I said with an evil grin, and he turned back around in frustration.

"A darker atmosphere is harder to write about, mainly because it is harder to express, and not as much fun to experience. Most people don't enjoy being sad, and don't enjoy being in pain, whether emotionally or physically...so it is hard for them to write about something dealing with those emotions, because it can sometimes bring forth memories they don't want to experience. When people are happy, they are usually very open about it, but when someone is upset, it's a much harder feeling to express. I think that's what really makes this assignment so difficult. That and the fact that usually students mess up and leave something happy in there without really knowing it."

"So it is supposed to be downright sad and depressing?" I asked.

"Basically yes." She said.

"You said that you got a perfect grade, but when you did the assignment...did you think it was hard?" Edward asked her.

"I did." She said, nodding her head. "It was hard at first, and I still wasn't real confident in my final paper. But it ended up being ok."

"So are you going to grade this as strictly as your teacher did?"

"I most certainly am." She said, offering him a sympathetic smile. "I think this is a very important assignment for young people to get. It really helps them develop strong writing skills."

"Can we be really creative with this as long as it follows the depressing guidelines?" Autumn asked.

"Yes. You could write a made up story of how a girl lost her dog, or write about the death of a member of your family. It can be real, it can be made up, it could even be a research paper. Just make it five pages long, and give it a dark atmosphere."

"When is it due?" Jasmine asked.

"Since this assignment is so important in my opinion, it will be due the week before Christmas break. Up until then, we will spend every second in class working on these assignments, because I really want you guys to take your time and experience this. It is not something you are going to be able to write in a few hours, and if you do write it in a few hours, I suggest you start over, because it will not be good enough. The week before Christmas break I will pick five people to read their essays to the class, and I will pass out grades on that Friday."

"So is this more than likely going to drive me insane?" Edward asked.

Miss Lovely shrugged her shoulders. "It may, but you might be surprised with yourself."

"Yeah, you may write something even crappier than usual." I whispered to him.

"Again, thank you Bella."

"That's what I'm here for." I said.

"So does anyone have any more questions concerning the assignment? I will be able to offer you quite a bit of help during class for the next few days."

Kyle raised his hand.

"Yes Kyle...do you have a question?"

"Yeah, um...Miss Lovely." He said, blinking a few times, and you could tell he had been sleeping. "Could I write about the time I fell off of the monkey bars and broke my arm?"

"Of course you could Kyle...but do you want to have my honest opinion?"

"Um, sure." He said, not looking quite awake yet.

"This actually could go for everyone in this class." She said, looking around the room. "If you really want to write about pain as your main emotion, physical pain is much easier to write about, but emotional pain will get you a lot more brownie points."

"Why is that?" I asked.

"Emotional pain is harder to capture, and harder to write about. Physical pain is a lot easier to express openly to others. When you break your arm, like Kyle did....you usually express that you are in pain by crying, flat out saying that you are in pain, or cursing."

"I defiantly did some cursing when I broke my arm." Kyle said.

"How old were you Kyle?" Miss Lovely asked.

He smiled in embarrassment. "It was this summer."

"Dude what were you doing on the monkey bars?" Edward asked him.

"Denver dared me to!" Kyle said, pointing at Denver, who was laughing hysterically.

Miss Lovely smiled as well. "But you see, emotional pain is harder to capture because we don't express it as openly. And more often than not, emotional pain hurts worse than physical pain, making it even less enjoyable to write about. If you can really nail a paper that revolves around emotional pain, you are an incredible writer. Are there any more questions?"

Natasha raised her hand.

"Yes Natasha?"

"Miss Lovely, in your honest opinion...are blonds dumb?" She asked, looking at Denver.

"Why do you ask?"

"Denver is trying to tell me that I'm dumb because I'm blond, and I told him I would start a debate about it if need be, but he told me to ask you first."

"Well Natasha, I'm blond you know...and I graduated at the top of my class in high school. I don't believe that a lack of common sense is determined by hair color, because I knew a girl in college who was the biggest ditz ever...and she was brunette. So no, I don't think you're dumb at all...you are a very intelligent young lady. May you lack a bit of common sense? Perhaps you do, but your hair color doesn't determine that."

Natasha stuck her tongue out at Denver. "Told you so."

He sighed and raised his hand.

"Yes Denver?" Miss Lovely asked.

"May I go to the bathroom so that I can avoid this situation?"

Miss Lovely laughed. "Go ahead."

"I'm saved!" He called as he ran out the door and into the hallway.

"Any more questions?" Miss Lovely asked again as she looked around the room. This time no one raised their hands, so everyone took the opportunity to chat amongst themselves until the bell rang.

I walked out into the hall with Haley and Natasha, but they both left me at my locker after a while. Edward was still lingering around, and his stupid camera crew was with him. I finished gathering all of my books together with the intent of walking out of the school and heading home, but no...Edward decided to strike up a conversation with me...probably so he could get some good material on film.

"So what do you think you're going to write about?" He asked me.

"Edward...I don't know. She told us that we need to take a long time to think about this. Do you know what _you're_ writing about yet?"

"I might actually have an idea."

"Wow, you're not going to come to me in a few nights, bust into my house and ask me for advice?"

"I never said that...but I think I have an idea that may work for this paper."

"You may have an idea, but good luck making it sound any good."

"I'm glad you have a lot of faith in me."

"Yeah I have a lot of faith in the fact that you will produce yet another crappy piece of writing."

"In all truth, you are probably right."

"I know I'm right" I said, shrugging my jacket on. "Oh, by the way...your jacket is still at my house."

"Ok." He said as we started walking toward the door. "I'll have to come pick it up later."

Something told me to turn around, and when I did I noticed Brandon was still in the hallway, and he didn't seem too happy. Edward noticed him as well.

I laughed as I turned back around to face Edward. "Brandon's contemplating beating you with that metal bar."

He smiled slightly. "At least he hasn't tried to kill me with a tube of cinnamon rolls."

I smacked his arm lightly as we walked out into the parking lot. "I had no intent to kill you, merely beat you up."

"Yeah because _you_ could beat me up."

"If I really wanted to, I'm sure I could."

"I don't think you could." He said. "I could so take you."

"You wouldn't hit a girl...would you?" I asked innocently.

"Oh no, of course not." He said with an evil grin on his face. "But I would do this."

At that, he picked me up and started spinning me around in circles. My backpack flew off of my arm and across the parking lot, right beside Brandon's car. As much as I begged Edward to stop spinning me around in circles, he wouldn't listen.

He finally stopped after what seemed like forever, but he didn't put me down. He was holding me like a mother would hold a little kid, cradling me almost. I had my arms wrapped around his neck and he had one arm under my back, and the other underneath my legs.

"Put me down Edward!" I protested, trying to recover from feeling so dizzy.

"You seriously want me to put you down? The parking lot is concrete Bella...that wouldn't feel very good."

"You don't have to throw me...just set me down!"

He laughed. "Nah, I think I'm just going to carry you like this forever."

"That would be ridiculous." I said, noticing Brandon still hadn't left yet, in fact he was sitting in his car, trying to stare at us discreetly through his rear-view mirror. He wasn't doing a very good job at the discreet part.

"At least that way you wouldn't trip over thin air and hurt yourself...I'd be doing you quite the favor."

I punched his chest with one hand the best I could in that position. "Edward Cullen...put me down right now!"

"You do realize that I'm going to do the exact opposite of what you request...right?" He asked, his dazzling smile slowly spreading across his face.

"Edward, don't put me down." I said.

He laughed. "Nice try Bella, but that won't work either."

I looked up at him and shook my head, discovering for the first time how close we were to one another. "I hate you, you know that?"

"I most certainly do." He said, smiling at me again. "I hate you too."

I sighed in frustration, but found myself laughing a bit. "You are unbelievable."

"I know..thanks."

"You are so full of yourself."

"Duh, I'm kind of hot."

"I beg to differ."

"Really?"

"Yes...really."

"If I kissed you would you think that I was hot?"

I laughed a little. "Why do you want to kiss me so bad?"

"So I can have bragging rights."

"Bragging rights...about what?"

"To say I kissed the unkissable Bella Swan."

"I'm not unkissable...I just have regulations."

"Yes, regulations that practically make you unkissable."

"You want to kiss me...just so that you can say that you kissed the girl that doesn't let anyone kiss her?"

"Exactly."

"Well I'll tell you what Edward...maybe someday after I have my first kiss...I'll let you kiss me one time."

"But that takes all the fun out of it."

"Why does that take all the fun out of it?"

"Because then you'd be kissable. You see...I have to be your first kiss in order to get total satisfaction."

"Can't you just be my third or fourth kiss?"

"No, because then the whole reasoning behind my want to kiss you would be ruined. I just want to kiss you to say I did it...not necessarily because I'm deeply in love with you or anything."

"Oh you know that's it." I said, smiling slightly.

"Know what is it?"

"You know that the real reason you want to kiss me is because you are deeply in love with me."

"Yep, so in love with you...you got me Bella." He joked.

I shook my head and laughed. "I know that's not it. You have Rosalie."

His smile faded slightly. "Yeah, I do have Rosalie..don't I?"

"Even though I think you shouldn't be with her...you seem to care about her a lot."

"Yep...she um...means the world to me, that girl." He said, gently setting me back down on my feet.

"But you don't mean that much to her..do you?"

He shook his head. "Probably not."

"I really think you should let go of her."

He sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "I can't."

"Why not?"

"Like I said....I guess I keep hoping she's going to change. I care about her a lot...or else I wouldn't keep going back to her."

"Well if the two of you have to be together..I hope she can start getting her act together."

"Why do you care so much?" He asked me, smiling softly as he placed his hands in his pockets.

"What do you mean?"

"Why do you care about how Rosalie treats me? I would think that you would love her for doing some of the things she's done."

"Edward." I said, standing beside him. "I may absolutely hate your guts, but no one deserves to be treated that way in a relationship. Not me, not Haley, not Brandon, not Natasha, and not you. No one deserves to have someone lie to them, cheat on them, and basically use them for all they're worth."

"I take it you don't like Rose very much."

"I used to like her, as an actress and all. She's very talented...there's no questioning that."

"Yes she's a fantastic actresses." He said, starring up at the sky. "I always admired her when I was growing up."

"And now you're dating her...aren't you lucky?" I asked.

"Yeah, so incredibly lucky." He said, laughing slightly.

"However, her being a fantastic actress doesn't make up for her being such a terrible person."

He didn't say anything, and remained looking up at the sky.

"Sorry if that upsets you or anything, but that's my honest opinion of her."

"No it's fine. You couldn't be any more correct."

"Is she ever nice to you at all?" I asked.

"Yeah." He said, looking over at me. "Besides the cheating and the possessiveness, she's generally very nice to me. But she's kind of a snot, and she does a lot of bad and sometimes illegal things."

"She drinks...doesn't she?" I asked.

"Yeah she likes to drink."

"Does she do anything else?"

"She smokes cigarettes every now and then, not all the time...but occasionally, and she loves to party."

"She doesn't do drugs or anything?"

"Not that I"m aware of." He said.

"What does your family think of her?"

"Well you already know what Emmett thinks of her, he's practically in love with her. Alice hates her, and mom and dad don't really approve of my being with her."

"But you date her anyway?" I asked, kind of surprised that Edward would do something his parents, especially his _mother_...didn't want him to do.

"I guess you'd really go to any length for someone you care about." Edward said. "It's crazy that I keep coming back to her, because I really shouldn't...but I do."

"Maybe she will turn around for the better."

"Who knows. It's not like it really matters anyway."

"Why doesn't it matter?" I asked.

He laughed slightly. "Because even if we do end up getting married or something...it won't be the first wedding I'll ever experience."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked him, knowing what direction this was going.

"Please Bella...really? I'm the world's greatest movie star...I'm more than likely going to have at least five failed marriages in my lifetime...if not more. I guess Rose is just the start of that chain."

"It doesn't have to be that way, you know." I said, actually feeling kind of bad for him for once.

He opened the door to his car and sat down. "It _shouldn't_ have to be that way...but that's more than likely what is going to happen."

"You could change that."

He sighed. "I could, but I probably won't." He didn't say any more after that, he simply closed his car door and drove away.

I stood there beside my truck, starring at the Volvo as it pulled out of the parking lot for quite some time. I finally allowed myself to venture over by Brandon's car and get my backpack. Once I was on my way back to my truck Brandon pulled out of the parking lot, and I followed behind him.

I really did feel bad for Edward. I had no idea why I felt bad for him, because I never remembered feeling bad for him in my life. He was a jerk, who picked on me all the time. Didn't he deserve what he had coming to him? It was his choice to throw himself into the world of fame, to move to LA, and to date that prostitute Rosalie. He had set up his own fate, made his own decisions, and if his life was going to end up sucking in the long run because of those decisions, should I have any reason to feel bad for him? No...I shouldn't.

But I did anyway.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! I know this was more of a serious chapter than others...but I tried to throw a bit of humor into it. The next chapter is guaranteed to be hilarious! I'm just going to give you three little tidbits of information concerning it to keep you guys wanting more! ;)**

**1. There won't be too many serious Edward/Bella moments. More funny stuff, and picking on one another.  
**

**2. Haley's antics. Enough said right there.**

**3. One word...Spaghetti.**

**Do with that as you wish. :) Lol...what do you think is going to happen in the next chapter? I'd like to hear your ideas. Also...what do you guys think of this new writing assignment that have to do, and what about Edward's behavior in this chapter?**

**Once again...thanks for reading!!**

**~Hazl~**


	9. Chapter 9

**Lol I like how the last chapter got you guys thinking about Edward just a bit. I know this seems like a real fast update, but I felt like writing more. :) **

**By that way, I need all of you to help with something. After listening to some music with my sister on YouTube, I got inspired to create a "soundtrack"...so to say...for this story. I want to pick a song for each chapter that really seems to fit it and then put it all together in a list to include at the end of the last chapter when I put it up someday. That way you guys can all look at it and enjoy it. I'm mostly picking out songs that Bella can relate to since she's our main narrator and focus, but something relating to Edward would be fine too. I'd like songs about two people hating one another, songs about wanting a guy you can't have, songs about famous people/actors, songs about not liking some guy's girlfriend...etc. Lol. The songs I already have picked out just as random ideas (they haven't really been placed anywhere yet), are...**

**According To You-(Have to look up artist). Goin Crazy-Ashley Tisdale. Because of You-Kelly Clarkson. Tell My Why-Taylor Swift. Dollhouse-(Have to look up artist).**** I Want You to Want Me-(Have to look up artist).**** Girlfriend-Avril Lavigne. Belong With Me-Taylor Swift. Sexy Back-Justin Timberlake. (So Edward's favorite song..haha)**

**I would really appreciate your help with that! Thank you all so much, and here's your chapter. :)  
**

* * *

**Chapter 9**

Natasha, Haley, Edward and I were at our usual table during lunch the next day. Edward never had moved over to the other table with the guys, which I figured had something to do with Brandon.

However I really wished he would move over there because eating lunch with him was horrible. That was probably the prime time for him to pick on me, during lunch.

And that day was no exception, even if we had been being fairly nice to one another the day before. We have a very bipolar relationship, Edward and I.

"So Edward." I said, picking through my salad. "How's that fantastic idea for your English paper coming along?"

"Pretty good." He said, leaning back in his chair as he took a drink of his milk. "I actually have some stuff typed up on my computer."

"Your name?"

"Ha, very funny Bella. No...I actually have my whole introductory paragraph typed up."

"Wow, do you actually get this assignment?"

"I'm not saying that I get it, but at least I had an idea for once."

"For once is about right."

"I've developed my own ideas before." He said.

"Yeah, after asking me for advice. I'm so glad I helped you pass all of your English classes."

"I could have passed them without you. Whether or not I got an "A" without you, that's up for debate."

"We can debate?" Natasha asked, looking at Edward and then I with a huge smile.

"Heck no!" Denver shouted from the other table. "Tell her no, please tell her no."

I laughed. "We don't need to debate right now...thanks Natasha."

"Fine." She said, pouting a bit before she resumed her conversation with Haley.

"Well then, I'm so glad I helped you get an "A" in all of your English classes."

"Thanks, your services are greatly appreciated."

"Well I didn't appreciate offering them."

"You never had to offer them."

"When you randomly barge into my house and complain about how you suck at writing, I have to say whatever you want me to say so you'll shut your freaking mouth."

"Are we a little angry Bella?" He asked.

"Yes, we are." I said, trying to avoid making eye contact with him.

"Why don't you like listening to me talk?"

"Because you do it _all the time_! It's the most annoying thing in the world!"

"Really? When I start talking...it's the most annoying thing in the world?"

"It is." I said, allowing myself to look at him. "Hi I'm Edward Cullen...I'm the world's greatest movie star. I'm _so_ perfect, hot, and amazing...oh and my girlfriend's Rosalie Hale. I like to hear myself talk because no one wants to freaking listen to me...oh well...at least I'm hot." I said, trying to imitate him.

"I sound nothing like that." He said, not exactly looking pleased with me.

"I'm not finished." I said, smiling. "I may be able to lie fantastically....because I'm pretty much a big deal...but I'm such a crappy writer it's nearly ridiculous! Please help me write this paper...I'm so incapable of doing it myself because my writing lacks connection and just plain sucks. Man do I look good today!"

"Did you wake up this morning with the intent to tick me off?" He asked.

"You're mad because you know everything I'm saying is true."

"Oh yeah? Well two can play the impersonation game." He said, clearing his throat before he spoke again. "Hi...my name's Bella Swan...and I'm a looser eighteen year-old girl who's never had a real boyfriend before. It might have something to do with these really stupid regulations I have regrading my first kiss...but I'd rather end up dying alone with eight cats than kiss someone that doesn't fit those regulations."

"Are you asking to be smacked?"

"I'm not finished." He said, repeating what I had said to him a few minutes ago before he continued mocking me. "I have a truck that's worth less than a pile of crap, and I spend most of my weekends at my best friend's house or sitting in the living room watching TV with my mom."

"At least I spend my weekend doing legal things!" I practically yelled at him.

"Oh and I don't?" He sort of yelled at me too.

"I'm sure you've gone to your fair share of parties out there in LA."

"I have."

"And what do you do at those parties? Play Pin the Tail on the Donkey? I think not."

"What do you think I do?"

"I think you get blasted drunk, and then go home and put on this huge act that your parents magically believe so that you don't get busted."

He glared at me. "What makes you think I do this kind of stuff?"

"It's who you are." I said.

"I'm an obsessive drinker? Thanks for telling me something I didn't know about myself."

"I bet you do a lot more things you shouldn't be doing as well."

"Like what?

"I'd bet a million dollars that you're into drugs or something too."

"Well guess what, you just lost a million dollars."

"Guess what, you're a liar."

"I'm not a liar...I'm an actor."

"All the more reason for me to suspect that you do these things. No one ever knows when you are telling the truth."

"At least people actually like me." He said, starring at me with this very angry expression.

Our argument was getting quite heated, and the cafeteria was basically silent. All eyes were on us, but we really didn't notice.

"Oh and people don't like _me_?"

"You're a looser." He said, shrugging his shoulders as if it was nothing. "I'm the exact opposite."

"I'm a looser?"

"I believe that's what I said...yeah."

"What makes you think that?"

"Do I have to impersonate you again?" He asked. "You are eighteen years old and you've never had a real boyfriend, a first kiss, and you don't go out and live any sort of a life. You stay within your little Bella bubble, and no one likes you because of it."

"No one likes you either!" I spat, however I knew this statement was false.

He laughed. "Yeah, about ninety-nine percent of the world liking me is defiantly no one."

"Brandon doesn't like you!" I said, which actually made Brandon smile.

"Thank you captain obvious!" Edward said. "Gosh will you just shut up already!"

"Not until you shut up, and we all know that will never happen!"

He stood up suddenly, and slammed his chair into the table. "Bella I swear..."

"What are you gonna do?" I asked, standing up myself.

He shook his head in disgust. "Take back everything you said."

"Me? Take back everything I said? In a million years."

"Take it back."

"You know what your problem is Edward?"

"What Bella? What is my problem?"

"Well, you have many...but the one I'm referring to is the fact that you are very uncomfortable dealing with the truth."

"What makes you think that I'm uncomfortable dealing with the truth?"

"Edward you're an actor for goodness sakes! Your career revolves around not telling the truth, and your life does too."

"How so?"

"When you loose your phone you have to tell your dad a squirrel took it. When you go to parties you're not supposed to go to, you pretend you suffer from short-term memory loss. You just can't tell the truth."

"I don't have a problem with telling the truth."

"Then why don't you ever do it?"

"Ok...I'll tell you the truth right now."

"I'd like to hear that."

He leaned over the table and starred right into my eyes. "I...hate...you."

"And I hate you. Are we even now?"

"No, we're not."

"You are not going to let this go...are you?" I asked.

"In all respects...you started this."

"_I _started this?" I yelled. "I started this? How in the world did _I_ start this?"

"You were the one that had to imitate me."

"You could have let it drop at that." I said.

"Well I didn't...forgive me."

"I'm not ever going to forgive you for anything."

"Why don't you go home and work on your fantastic English assignment!" Edward said.

"Why don't you go back to LA and cry to your mother!" I said, smiling evilly.

"You disgust me...you know that?"

"That's fine. Maybe if I disgust you...you'll leave me alone."

"Oh I'll leave you alone....you just have to wait until the middle of June...and then don't worry..you won't ever have to see my gorgeous face again!"

"Good! Go back to LA and get drunk, do drugs, and have sex with Rosalie for all I care!"

"What makes you think I do all that stuff?" He asked with a very angered tone to his voice.

"Because I know what you do!" I practically screamed. "I know who you are!"

"_What?_" He asked, obviously very angry with me now.

"You heard me."

"What did you say?" He asked, with an extreme amount of bite to his words.

"I...know...you." I said slowly, trying not to speak too loud.

"Oh you don't know me _at all_." He said, pulling his chair out and sitting back down.

"I don't know you?"

"No...you don't." He said. "Not one teeny tiny bit!"

"Well you wanna know what I do know about you?" I asked

"I'd love to hear it."

"I know that you're going to be covered in your lunch." I said as I viciously pushed his tray into his lap, getting spaghetti all down the front of his pants, which caused everyone in the room to gasp in shock.

"Very mature Bella." He said, picking the spaghetti off of him.

"At least I'm being more mature than you."

He walked around to my side of the table, reached onto Haley's tray, and took her spaghetti.

"Hey Edward...I was eating that!" Haley said, looking at Edward and then at me in hopes of getting her food back.

"What are you going to do with that?" I asked him, putting my hands on my hips.

"This." He said, taking a quick step forward and smearing the spaghetti down my shirt.

"Oh...my...gosh!" I screamed, looking at him with utter disbelief. "You did not just do that."

"I did." He said, picking up my milk. "Would you like something to drink with that?" He asked before pouring the milk over my head.

I just screamed in horror, not knowing what else to do. When he finally finished, I was soaked in milk all over, and I could fell the spaghetti falling down my chest.

"Yeah so I think I just won this fight." He said, smiling in satisfaction. "If you'd please excuse me, I'm going to go get a new pair of pants."

With that he walked away in a hurry, and the whole cafeteria burst into thunderous chatter. I was in too much shock to be able to do anything, but the next thing I knew, I was in the girl's bathroom with Haley.

"Don't worry girl...Natasha went to go fetch some clothes for you. I thinks I gots the hair products in my magic bag of wonders." She said, digging through her gigantic purse. "I have some shampoo...but no conditioner...that be ok?"

"That's fine Haley." I said, taking the shampoo from her as I shrugged off my shirt. My bra was somehow coated in spaghetti as well, and it didn't feel too pleasant.

"It smells like mangoes." Haley said, pointing to the shampoo. "Good stuff...mangoes."

I laughed just a little as I tried to wet my hair in the sink and rinse the shampoo out of it.

Haley whipped her notebook out and scribbled something on a piece of paper real fast before she stuck it on the outside of the bathroom door.

"What was that?" I asked.

"I stuck a pretty sign on the door that said "Fashion show in progress...do not enter or Haley's flamingo minions shall attack." That way no one comes in here and sees you in your bra."

"Thanks Haley...you think of everything." I said, as someone knocked on the door. "It's probably Natasha."

Haley ran to open the door, and sure enough there was Natasha with her gym bag.

"Hey Bella." She said, placing her bag on the floor. "How are you doing?"

"I'm rinsing my hair in the bathroom sink because it's soaked with milk, and I have a spaghetti filled bra. Couldn't be better."

"Aw Bella I am so sorry." She said, digging through her gym bag.

"Me too girl." Haley added in. "I is real sorry. Sorrier than a bird without the feathers"

"It's not your fault guys." I said, trying to use paper towels to dry my hair. "It's not like you were the ones that did this to me."

"Yeah but it is my spaghetti." Haley said, bowing her head in shame. "I have betrayed my feather master."

I laughed a little bit. "You haven't betrayed anyone Haley."

"Here Bella." Natasha said, handing me a t-shirt and some sweat pants. "That's the best I got."

"Thanks Natasha." I said, taking off my jeans and putting on the sweat pants. They were really long on me, but they were better than nothing.

"I have a hairdryer for you too." She said, searching around the bathroom for an outlet.

"You guys are amazing...you know that?" I told them, picking spaghetti out of my bra.

"Yeah we know." Haley said, smiling as she hung her feather boa on one of the stall doors.

"Is there an outlet in here anywhere?" Natasha asked.

Haley and I both laughed, because there was an outlet right behind her.

"What?" She asked, turning around. "Oh..there it is."

I walked over there and started drying my hair, while Natasha gathered up my dirty clothes to take somewhere for safe keeping. She left the bathroom when she was finished cleaning up and took her gym bag with her.

Haley sat on one of the sinks and played with the water while she waited for me to finish drying my hair. It didn't take me too long, and at that point in time I really didn't care what I looked like.

"Toss me that shirt Haley." I said, pointing to the shirt that Natasha had brought for me.

"Here ya go girlfriend." Haley said, tossing the shirt to me.

I examined the shirt and noticed that it was a cheerleading t-shirt from junior high. It was probably going to be super small on me and look really funny, but like I said before...I really didn't care.

"It would be a lot nicer if my bra wasn't filled with spaghetti." I said, yanking yet another spaghetti noodle out of my bra. "Yuck."

"Do you have another bra on you?" Haley asked me as she swung her feet back and forth.

"Yeah Hales I just carry an extra bra around with me."

"You do?"

"No Haley...I don't."

Natasha came back in the bathroom. "Everything ok?"

"Bella needs a bra." Haley said happily.

"Do you have an extra one Natasha?" I asked.

"I usually keep a sports bra or two in my bag for volleyball practice, but we don't have practice today...so I didn't pack any."

"Ok, thanks." I said as I dug through my own bag for my hairbrush.

"I'll go out in the cafeteria and see if anyone else has one." She said, leaving the room again.

I sighed in frustration as I brushed through my hair. "What am I going to do Haley?" I asked.

"I could make you a bra." She said. "All I need is some fabric, a needle, thread, and feathers."

"How long would it take you to make one?" I asked, fluffing my hair a bit to make it look like I had done something with it. I grabbed a can of hairspray out of Haley's purse and started spraying my hair like crazy.

"About thirty minutes if I go real quick."

I sighed again. "That won't work...lunch will be over by then."

"No one else has one Bella!" I heard Natasha call through the door. "I can run home real quick and get you one if you want."

"Thanks Natasha, but that's ok...you don't have to."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

"Do you need anything else?"

"I think me and Haley got it from here."

"It's all good sista!" Haley called to her.

"Ok...I'll see you guys in a little while." Natasha said before she closed the door.

"Ugh...I guess I'm going to have to walk around in a spaghetti filled bra." I said, getting ready to put Natasha's shirt on.

"Wait my dear Bella!" Haley said as she jumped down off of the sink.

I offered her a confused expression. "I'm waiting...now what?"

She reached behind her and seemed to be unhooking something, and before I knew it she was handing me her bra. "Take mine."

"You're kidding me right?" I asked, actually feeling a little better as I laughed.

"Heck..I can walk around without a bra on for the rest of the day."

"Wow, thanks Haley." I said, going into one of the stalls to put her bra on. I threw my bra out over the top of the stall.

"You want me to keep this?" She asked me as I walked out of the stall and pulled Natasha's shirt on.

"Stuff it in your locker or something." I told her, as I started gathering my things together. I was still laughing at the thought of Haley offering me her bra.

"Why are you laughing so much?" Haley asked me as I was organizing everything.

"I still can't believe you offered me your bra."

"What are friends for?" She said, hugging me tight. "I got your back girl...ya know that?"

"Yeah...I know that." I said, hugging her back. "But I don't think I'd ever give my bra up for you."

"Well I'm just a little bit crazy...so that may explain it." She said, handing my backpack to me. "You can't really tell I'm not wearing a bra when I drape my boa over me like this." She said as she wrapped her feather boa around her neck. "It's only for a few hours."

"You are the best friend _ever_ Haley." I said, opening the bathroom door and taking her fashion show sign off of it. "I defiantly owe you one."

"Sweet...can we go to the Dairy Queen after school?"

"Yes we can, and it will be my treat."

"Awesome! Do you think they'll put feathers in my sundae?"

I laughed. "Haley, for you...I'll make sure they do."

"Even more awesome!"

"I love you Haley." I said, smiling at her after I got my books out of my locker.

"I love you too girl...I love you too." She said, stuffing my bra into her locker. "So do I need to kick some cute Cullen butt?"

I laughed. "No Haley, you don't need to kick any Cullen butt."

"Aw man!" She said, sounding disappointed.

"Leave that to me. After all, I am the one wearing a bra." I said with a smile.

"That's my girl!" She said, offering me a high-five before wrapping her arm around my shoulders as we went to our next class.

* * *

Later that evening I was sitting in my room typing up some brainstorming information on my English project. My mom and Phil were out of state for something that had to do with Phil's work. They'd be back before the end of the week, but until then I was left home alone.

I had already showered and everything, so I was just relaxing in a tank top and a pair of old pajama pants. I was letting my hair air dry, so it was still a little damp, but it was basically dry enough.

I wasn't one hundred percent sure what I was going to write about quite yet. I was merely in the brainstorming stage, so I was trying to gather a bunch of different ideas together and see if I could get anything that sounded like it could be turned into a good paper. So far I wasn't having much luck, so I decided to quit and play some games instead.

The phone rang after a while, and it was Haley. Her and I had stopped by the Dairy Queen after school, and she was asking me if she left her feather boa in my car. She had in fact, and I told her I had brought in inside with me and that I'd give it back to her at school tomorrow. She thanked me a thousand times before we said goodbye, and I went back to playing my game on the computer.

I hadn't even been playing it for five minutes when the doorbell rang. I glanced over at the clock as I got up, and noticed it was well past seven-thirty. I had no idea why anyone would be stopping by so late in the evening, but I figured maybe Haley wasn't going to listen to me and that she wanted to come get her boa now.

I was actually quite surprised when I opened the door and saw Edward standing there instead of Haley. He was wearing the same shirt he had on earlier, but he was obviously wearing a new pair of jeans. He was also holding some sort of oddly-wrapped present in one hand, which confused me.

"Hey Bella." He said, trying to be friendly with me.

"Hey." I said, still quite confused. "Stumped on your assignment?"

He laughed as he walked inside. "No, I don't need any help on my assignment...thanks."

"So you're just stopping by...you don't need my advice?"

"Nope. Not at all."

"What is that?" I asked, pointing to the oddly wrapped package.

"Oh, this is for you." He said, handing it to me. "I never did get you a birthday present."

"Um, thanks." I said, taking the present from him and sitting down on the couch. After he kicked off his shoes, Edward joined me.

"You can open it you know." He said, after a few minutes of awkward silence.

"Of course." I said, slowly ripping off the wrapping paper. Once I tore it all off, I uncovered a plush panda bear.

"A stuffed panda...wow. Thanks."

He actually laughed a bit. "Pandas are a regarded as a sign of peace."

I looked over at him while I gently pulled a piece of tape off of the panda's ear. "You're giving me a peace offering?"

"Yeah I guess I am." He said, crinkling the wrapping paper into a little ball. "I didn't exactly act very appropriately during lunch today."

"That's for sure." I said, placing the panda on the coffee table. "But in your defense I wasn't being very nice either."

"We were both being jerks...weren't we?"

"We were."

"Sorry about that, I don't exactly know why I got so mad at you."

"I'm sorry too, if it helps." I said, actually meaning it. I said it was fun to hate Edward, but it wasn't necessarily fun to be mad at him.

"You know Bella, we are eighteen years old...you'd think we'd act like we were young adults, rather than act like a bunch of kids."

"You would think...wouldn't you?"

"But we don't." He said, laughing.

"It's very easy to hate you."

"It's really easy to hate you too."

"Gee thanks." I said, laughing a bit as I stood up.

"Hey, you were the one who immediately wondered if I needed homework help when I showed up at your front door."

"Isn't that normally the reason you randomly show up at my house?" I asked, picking up the panda.

He nodded his head. "Yeah, it is."

"My point." I said, walking into the kitchen to look for something to eat. "Are you hungry?"

"Yeah I am actually." He said, following me.

"What do you want?" I asked, as I searched through the fridge.

"Got any spaghetti?"

I turned around and tried to act disgusted with him, but all I did was laugh. "Edward Cullen, you suck."

"Thanks, you too." He said, reaching over me into the fridge.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting these out of your reach." He said, showing me a tube of cinnamon rolls.

"Oh there are more weapons where those came from." I said, yanking the cinnamon rolls out of his hand and putting them back in the fridge.

"Really?"

"Phil's a minor league baseball player...we have no shortage of ball bats in this house."

He backed up against the counter. " I can take a hint." He said.

I laughed at him. "Here's a frozen pizza." I said, taking it out of the freezer. "Do you want some of that?"

"Sure." He said, taking the stuffed panda out of my arms and running into the living room.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Is your room still back here?" He called, and I finished putting the pizza in the oven so I could see what he was up to. He was standing in front of my closed bedroom door, waiting for my permission to go in.

"Yes it is, but you're not going in there."

"Oh I am." He said with a grin before opening my door and dashing into the room.

"Edward!" I yelled, running after him. "My bed isn't made or anything! It's a mess in there."

Edward looked around my room. "Yeah, it's really messy in here Bella. Is that a speck of dust on the desk?" He joked.

I yanked the panda out of his arms. "Get out of here."

"I'm not leaving until I get some pizza."

"You don't have to leave my house, just leave my room."

"Nah." He said, fishing through my DVD collection. I sighed in frustration as I sat down on the bed. I wrapped some of the blankets around me and set the stuffed panda on my lap.

"Why are you looking at my movies?"

"To see if you have any with me in it." He said, seeming slightly upset as he started looking through my DVDs again. "Do you have any movies with me in them?"

"Nope, I don't support anything you star in." I said, which was a flat out lie. I had every movie he had ever been in stuffed away in a box in my closet. I kept them there for this exact reason, in case he came into my room randomly one day.

"Not even Love to Hate You?" He asked.

"Nope, I don't even have Love to Hate You."

"Have you ever even seen Love to Hate you?"

"Haley, Natasha and I went and saw it opening night, and Haley forces me to watch it basically every time I'm at her house."

"So why don't you have it on DVD?" He asked, starting at the beginning of my collection again.

I couldn't help but laugh at him. "I already told you, I don't support anything you star in."

"Yeah but I don't understand how you don't even have Love to Hate You."

"I just don't."

"You have Titanic." He said, holding up my Titanic DVD. "But not Love to Hate You?"

"Love to Hate You is only number _two_ after all." I said, offering him an innocent smile.

He placed my Titanic DVD back in its respective spot. "So you're sure you don't have any movies with me in them?"

"I might have the tape from our kindergarten graduation around here somewhere, but other than that...no."

"I can't believe this." He said, looking through my movies for the fourth time now.

"Edward, no matter how many times you tear apart my DVD collection, one of your movies are not going to magically appear."

"You have _Titanic_." He repeated, shaking his head. "But not one movie with me in it."

I was still laughing. "Ok Edward, you're not in any of my movies, let's build a bridge and get over it."

"You really do hate me." He said, looking through my DVDs for a last time before giving up and taking a seat at my desk. "I'm very hurt."

"You're rich enough...you don't need me to buy your movies on DVD."

"Maybe if you would have supported my movies more I'd have the number one spot."

"No I just don't think you're good enough for the number one spot." I said, which caused him to jump up out of his seat. Before I knew it he had me pinned down on the bed.

"What did you just say?" He asked, trying to sound serious, but you could tell he was messing with me.

"You heard me." I said, laughing hysterically.

"Don't make me take my peace offering back." He threatened.

"Oh no...don't take Pandy!" I said in between my laughter.

"What kind of a gay name is Pandy?"

"It's going to be my panda's new name...you like it?"

"No I hate it actually. Couldn't you think of a different name than that? Be _creative_ or something?"

"Oh yeah, because you know everything about being creative."

"I would have come up with a better name for a stuffed panda than Pandy."

"What kind of name would you suggest Dr. Cullen?"

"Hey that's my dad, not me." He said, letting go of me. I sat back up and swung my arms around to regain feeling in them.

"Your dad is hot." I said, smiling at him.

"Why do people always tell me that?"

"It's true." I said.

"Well I guess I got my good looks from somewhere."

"Yeah, your mom."

"Hey, I do not look like a girl."

"I could certainly argue that point."

"This is not about which one of my parents I look like the most." He said, taking a hold of the panda. "This is about what we are going to name this poor little panda."

"You talk about it like it's our baby or something."

"Ew much?" He said, throwing the panda at me. "The day I have a baby with you, shoot me please."

"Will do. Of course, I don't think I'd willingly let you have a baby with me either."

"Yeah right, you were the one asking me for lessons on sex hair."

"Just the hair, not the actual sex."

He awkwardly ran one hand through his hair. "What are we going to name this panda?"

"Well, first off...we have to decide if it's a boy panda, or a girl panda."

"It is so a boy panda." He said.

"Why do you say that?" I asked, holding the panda up and examining it.

"It just looks like a boy." He said, shrugging his shoulders. "It's not a very girly looking panda."

"Ok, so it's a boy panda...what do you suggest naming it?"

"Well it's got to be a sexy name." He said, looking at the panda as well.

"Something like Leonardo?" I joked.

"Haha, no." He said, taking the panda from me so he could have a better look at it. "Edward Jr."

"Yeah, because that really helps the whole "this is our baby" weirdness thing."

"Fine, I was just trying to pick a sexy name."

"So you pick Edward?"

"Um, duh. Edward's my name...and I'm sexy."

I laughed.

"Shut up Bella...you were the one that wanted to name him Pandy."

"It was a spur of the moment sort of thing."

"Well it was a really bad spur of the moment sort of thing."

"Kind of like your writing assignments huh?" I asked, which prompted him to throw the panda at me. "Ow! Just kidding."

"You know you weren't kidding."

"You're right...I wasn't."

"I thought so."

"What are we going to name the panda?"

He thought for a moment. "How about Paix?"

"Paix?" I asked. "Is that like a different language or something?"

"Yeah, it's French." He said, looking over at me. "It means peace, and since he was my peace offering to you, it fits."

"How do you pronounce it?"

"The -x is silent...so it's kind of like the word pay."

"Paix." I repeated. "I actually kind of like that. Paix it is."

"It's a heck of a lot better than Pandy."

"Yeah, I guess it is."

"It is, trust me."

I laughed and set the panda between the two of us. "I didn't know that you spoke French."

"I don't speak it real fluently, but I know quite a bit."

"You didn't know how to speak French when you left." I said.

"Well, I thought I'd learn some other languages for when I travel to other countries for movie premieres and things."

"That's kind of cool." I said, wanting him to say something else in French. It was _very_ attractive. "Can you say something else in French?"

"What do you want me to say?" He asked, smiling at me.

"Anything, I don't care what it is, I won't know what you are saying anyway."

He took my hand and looked like he was thinking again before he spoke. "Je ne peux pas toujours croire que vous n'avez pas de films avec moi dans eux."

"Wow." I said, suddenly finding him ten times more attractive. "What did you just say?"

He laughed. "That's for me to know and for you to get on the Internet and translate." He said, getting up and running out of my room without another word.

"Where are you going?" I called after him.

"The timer on the oven rang...the pizza's ready!" He yelled.

"Yeah right, world's greatest actor...I'm not buying that." I said, laughing as I walked out into the kitchen to join him.

Something that started out as a bad day didn't end up being so bad after all. It was kind of odd how one second I was so infuriated with him, and the next I was turning into a pile of goo at his feet.

But like I said, Edward and I have a very bipolar relationship.

* * *

**So what did you guys think of that? For anyone who actually does speak fluent French...I'm sorry if I have any of the words or pronunciations wrong, because I don't know any French, I was merely typing what I wanted into a translator and then listening to it as it was repeated to me in some sort of audio format. So I apologize if any of that is incorrect.**

**I want to present a little challenge to you guys. If you can tell me what Edward said to Bella in French, and you actually get it relatively close...I'll find some way to mention your name in the story. If you want to be included, just tell me your name, or your nickname if you'd rather not give out that information on the Internet. I will use all the names of the people that get it right, so there won't be just one winner!**

**I've put a picture of Paix on my profile if you'd like to see it. :) And I actually just got a new stuffed panda myself (I love pandas!), and he has gone unnamed for about a week and a half. But now I think that I am going to name him Paix. ;)  
**

**The next chapter is going to be the Halloween dance! It should be lots of fun. :) I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and thank you so much for reading!**

**~Hazl~  
**


	10. Chapter 10

**Thank you guys so much for your reviews on the last chapter! I'd first off like to start by wishing all of you a safe and happy holiday season. :)  
**

**Secondly, I'd like to wish a very happy birthday to I am the real Alice-Cullen!**

**And last but not least...almost everyone translated what Edward said in French correctly! I typed the sentence "I still cannot believe you don't have any movies with me in them"..into a French translator...and tada! I got what Edward said in the last chapter. Good job everyone! All of your names will be included in this chapter as your prize. If I forget to mention anyone who did guess it correctly...I am super sorry!  
**

**This chapter is the Halloween dance...kind of silly with all the winter holidays going on right now huh? **

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 10**

During the days leading up to the Halloween dance Edward and I tried to be a little bit nicer to one another. We'd argue, there's no denying that, but nothing like that one day in the cafeteria. Maybe we were both trying to be nicer since we knew we'd have to spend an entire night together at the dance.

Haley ended up making a rather simple costume for me, and I was very proud of her...because she only put one feather on it, and it wasn't too noticeable. However I wasn't exactly pleased with what she made me be. I was going to be a bride, and she had this vision of me looking all beautiful, and then Edward could just wear a tux..which would please him. But since I have semi-negative feelings towards marriage, I decided to spice up the little white dress she made for me by wearing a short black leather jacket, a pair of boots, and my tiara from homecoming. That made it a little better, but I still wasn't very happy about dressing up like a bride.

Edward came and got me at four, like he said he would, and he was very surprised to see my additions to my costume. As far as he knew, I was just going to be a lovely bride...so he was obviously quite shocked at what he saw. I don't necessarily know why he has a problem with my style, but he does. We went out and ate at some really expensive restaurant that I had seen before, but never went into just because I felt like it was too much of a rich people place. It certainly was, because I think a glass of water cost around twelve dollars. He paid for everything, which I really didn't protest against because there was no way in the world I had enough money to pay for my meal myself.

We arrived at the dance a little early so that way I could help Natasha out if she needed it, but Haley and the guys were already there, so they had finished everything up.

Haley was wearing a red flapper dress that she designed, along with a red feather boa and a feather headpiece. The real funny thing though, is that I've seen her wear that out in public before. Natasha was in love with the costume Haley made her, and really took it to extremes by making the guys dress up according to her. She was Elle Woods from Legally Blonde, which is her second favorite movie ever, Love to Hate You is first of course. She made Denver dress up like Warner, Brandon was Emmett, and Kyle dressed up like the UPS Guy. They were certainly a funny little group.

Natasha had a lot of games and activities planned, so it wasn't all just a plain old dance, but I really didn't feel like engaging in any of these games, so Edward would stand and talk with Haley and I.

"So Eddie...I hear that you speak the language of love." Haley said, smiling at him as she flung her feather boa over her shoulder in an attempt to be romantic.

I laughed and looked over at Edward to see his response.

"Yes, I do speak a little bit of French." He said.

"What did he say to you in French?" Haley asked, looking at me.

"I still cannot believe you don't have any movies with me in them." I said, looking at Edward.

He smiled. "It's what I was feeling at the time."

"Oh you couldn't have said something nice instead? Confess your undying love to me or anything?"

"Yeah because that would have been so smart of me to confess my undying love to you in French, when you could translate it easily."

"Duh stupid, if he wanted to confess his undying love to you he'd do so in bird speak." Haley said.

We both ignored her.

"That's not exactly the point, the point is that you were still all hung up on the fact that I don't own one movie with you in it." I said.

"But Bella that's not tru.." Haley started to say before I covered her mouth to keep her from saying anything else.

"What?" Edward asked, obviously aware of what Haley was about to say.

"Haley was going to say that's not true because she knows I have the tape from our kindergarten graduation." I said, trying to cover up my tracks.

He didn't seem satisfied with my explanation, but didn't bother to ask any further questions about it. "Why can't I be upset about the fact that you don't own one movie with me in it, when I'm the world's greatest movie star?"

"It just proves that your mind only revolves around one thing." I said.

"And what would that be?"

"Yourself."

"I guess you would be correct."

"I guess I would be." I said, trying to offer him an innocent smile.

"Speaking French is hot." Haley said, bouncing in between the two of us. "My boyfriend Rick speaks French quite of the well."

"Haley doesn't really speak English quite of the well." Edward whispered to me, and I couldn't help but laugh.

"I didn't know Rick spoke French Haley."

"Well he knows how to say a few things, I always thought it was hot. Then he moved...I haven't seen him in a real long time...he's never called or anything."

Edward looked at me for an explanation, and I just shook my head and whispered that I'd tell him later.

"You should say something in French to me!" Haley said, smiling at Edward. "It would be fifty times hotter to hear you say the sweet words of French!"

"Um, what do you want me to say?" Edward asked, wrapping one arm around my waist.

"Say something about feathers!" Haley screamed, jumping up and down in front of the two of us.

Without really knowing it, I moved closer to Edward and rested my head on his shoulder. Haley's energetic nature was making me very tired.

"Ok..um." Edward said, thinking for a moment. "Haley vous aimez des plumes et ne pouvez pas parler correctement pour sauver votre vie."

"He said Haley! I recognize that word for some reason!"

"Maybe because it's your name?" I said.

"Hmm, maybe that's it." She said, bouncing up and down again. "That was so hot! I have no idea what you just said in that lovely sentence...but it was so romantic!"

"Yep it was very romantic." He said, smiling at her...and I could tell he wanted her to go away.

"Do you want me to leave you guys alone?" She asked, examining us.

"Whatever you want to do Haley."

"Yep Haley, you can stay, you can leave...Bella and I don't care."

"I think that you two...you have this like...moment going on right now." She said, motioning to the two of us. " I heard there's some Hailey girl here...so I'm going to make a journey to the center of the dance floor and show her who's the better Haley when it comes to dancing!"

"You go girl." I said, trying to sound encouraging.

"Oh and Edward!" She said, pointing to him. "You keep speaking French baby...that's hot crap. Love ya Bella!" She called as she ran out to the center of the dance floor.

"Your camera crew _is_ here right?" I asked him.

"Yeah, they're here."

"And I hope that they're getting that on film." I said, pointing to Haley.

"They defiantly are."

"What was it that you just said to her in French?"

"Haley you love feathers and cannot speak correctly to save your life."

I laughed. "Wow and she thought you said something real romantic."

"Well in case you haven't figured it out quite yet, Haley is not exactly the representation of intelligence."

"I know that, trust me."

"What was all of that about some guy named Rick?"

"Oh, she was dating this guy named Rick for a few months and he moved like a year ago in order to avoid her, but she doesn't exactly get that they're not together anymore."

"So she thinks that he is still dating her?"

"She most certainly does."

"Wow, that has to be lack of intelligence at its prime right there."

I smacked his shoulder lightly. "Hey shut up. That's my best friend you're talking about, and no matter how stupid she is, she doesn't deserve to be made fun of."

He laughed. "Fine."

"You should say something else in French again, but this time say something nicer, that doesn't revolve around you."

"Dang it, that ruins the fun in it."

"You like talking about yourself..don't you?"

"I'm my favorite topic of conversation." He said, tightening his grip around my waist. "I'm generally most people's favorite topic of conversation."

"You're my least favorite."

"Thanks Bella, that makes me feel fantastic."

"You're very welcome." I said with a smile, and he laughed at me. "Seriously though...say something nice to me in French."

"I can't even say anything nice to you in _English_, let alone another language."

"Well try at least. You could say something as simple as...Bella you look nice tonight."

"Ah but then I wouldn't be telling the truth."

"Yeah because you don't lie constantly or anything."

"Edward Cullen doesn't lie..."

"Edward Cullen acts...I get it by now, thanks." I said.

He laughed at me again.

"Just say something nice to me in French!" I said, smacking his shoulder gently again.

"Why? Do you think it's hot when I speak French too?" He asked.

"No, I just like listening to you say stuff in French."

"Because it's hot."

"No...because no one else I know can speak fluent French, and I like listening to the loveliness of the language itself, not necessarily you."

"You like listening to me speak French because it turns you on, and you know it."

"Yeah Edward, you caught me. When you speak French, it just turns me on beyond belief."

"That's what I thought."

"You're a moron!" I said, laughing. "Just say something in French already! I don't even care if it is anything nice."

"So I can say whatever I want?"

"Whatever you want, just try and refrain from talking about yourself."

"Ok, how about this?" He said, turning to look at me. "Vous êtes la fille la plus stupéfiante dans le monde."

"What did you say?" I asked him.

"I said that you are the most astounding girl in the world."

"Aw, Edward that is really sweet." I said, actually kind of surprised he'd say something so nice to me.

"C'est ainsi pas la vérité." He said, smiling at me.

"What does that mean?"

"It means it is so not the truth."

"What is so not the truth? The fact that I'm the most astounding girl in the world?"

"Exactly." He said, his dazzling smile spreading across his face.

I laughed and shook my head. I should have known he wasn't being serious.

"So who is the most astounding girl in the world?"

"Haley without a doubt." Edward said. "She's one awesome nerd."

"Why didn't I think of that? Of course it's Haley!"

He laughed. "So am I done speaking French for the night? Or would you like me to speak in a different language now?"

"I think you're good for now."

He looked around the gym for a second before he turned to me. "Let's get out of here."

"What? Where are we gonna go?"

"We won't leave school grounds, but let's just get out of the gym for a little while. It's sort of boring in here."

I looked around the room as well. Natasha and Haley both seemed to be amusing themselves, so I assumed they didn't need me around.

"Ok, let's go." I said, and the two of us tried to sneak out of the gym without anyone noticing, however I think our departure didn't go unnoticed by Brandon.

We walked around the school for a little while, just talking to one another, until we finally decided to go down to the football field. It was quite a ways away from the school, and it was kind of nice to have the whole area to ourselves.

"So Bella." Edward said, taking a seat up in the bleachers. "Do you find it slightly ironic that Haley choose this costume for you?"

"Hm?" I asked, kind of forgetting what I was dressed up as until I looked down and noticed the white dress. "Oh, sure I guess." I said, taking a seat beside him.

"I just find it sort of ironic, with your thoughts about marriage and everything. You never have changed those thoughts...have you?"

"No I haven't." I said, looking up at the stars.

"Why is it that you feel the way you do about marriage?"

"It has something to do with my parents." I said, turning my attention to him. "They got married so young, and their marriage fell apart real fast. I want to wait until I'm a lot older to get married, and even then...the thought of marriage still scares me."

"You're just afraid of divorce?" He asked.

"Basically. You know I was just little when my parents got divorced, but I can't help but wonder what life would have been like for me if they were still together. If I had kids with my husband and then we got divorced, I wouldn't want to hurt my kids like that."

"I guess I wouldn't really understand the way you feel."

"You're very lucky that both of your parents are together."

"Yeah, I guess I am."

"I'm sure your opinion of marriage is a lot different than mine."

"Very different." He said, trying to avoid making eye contact with me as he starred out at the empty football field. "_Extremely_ different."

"How different?"

"Let's just say it's a lot different than what your opinion of marriage is."

"Do you want to get married?" I asked him.

"Oh yeah...of course I do. Don't you want to get married?"

"Someday, yes...but a long time from now. Not any time soon."

"That's where my opinion varies from yours." He said, looking back at me again.

"Why does it vary there?"

He laughed slightly to himself. "My parents got married right after high school...and they cracked it up to be the most romantic thing ever."

"Yeah, my mom said that her and dad's wedding was very romantic too. Our stories are just a little different in the fact that your parents are still together and mine didn't even last five years."

"Well mom and dad have both installed in all of us kids how romantic and amazing a wedding is when you're young. That's all we really grew up hearing about. Alice had the big idea that she was going to meet some guy and get married as soon as she graduated high school. She's been with Jasper for two years now and is already planning a wedding between the two of them."

"She still has a year of school left doesn't she?"

"She does, but knowing Alice...the wedding will take her ten years to plan. Might as well get started now."

"Are Jasper and her even engaged or anything?"

"When Alice wants to be engaged to Jasper, she will be engaged to Jasper."

"He has no say in it?"

"He has absolutely _zero_ say in it."

"Wow, poor Jasper."

"Yeah, I feel kind of bad for the guy."

"They love each other though...don't they?"

"Oh yeah, Alice thinks Jasper is her knight in shinning armor, and Jasper loves Alice more than life itself. They're soul mates...no doubt there."

"So I know you said that Alice is for the idea of getting married young, but Emmett must think differently."

"Emmett doesn't necessarily think differently...he just hasn't found the right girl yet. And he likes sleeping around way too much to settle for just one girl quite yet."

"He hasn't had a serious girlfriend or anything?"

"He did date this one girl named Jessy for a few months, and that was probably the longest relationship he's ever had."

"Is he dating anyone right now?"

"He's kind of off and on with these two girls Ella and Elizella right now."

"Two girls?" I asked

"Emmett doesn't like the restrictions of dating only one girl at a time."

I laughed, and the two of us were silent for a moment before I remembered something else. "Oh Edward."

"Yeah?"

"If Alice is for getting married young, and Emmett doesn't really care...where do you stand?"

He smiled slightly and shook his head. "Let's just say I'm pretty old-fashioned in my thoughts when it comes to marriage."

"So you want to get married young?"

"Yes."

"Like right out of high school young?"

"Like right out of high school young...yeah. But to do that...the right girl has to be there first."

"And is she?" I asked.

He looked over at me. "No, she's not."

"So Rosalie's not the right girl?"

"Bella...I can't marry someone with a past like her's at this point in the relationship. She'll take several more years to win my trust back before I'd ever consider marrying her."

"But you will marry her someday?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows...a lot can happen between now and then. Like I said before, if I marry her...it won't be the only wedding I'll ever experience. I'm doomed for failed marriages. It comes along with the fame package."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure. When you reach the status I'm at...it's like life hands you this huge fame package. You get a lot of stuff in it. Fortune, popularity, extra treatment, nice cars, big time movie roles, and awards. Then you get the not so good things with it like drugs, alcohol, stalkers, paparazzi...which I don't really mind them..any one who wants to take pictures of me is fine, crazy fans, constant pressure to be perfect, and failed relationships."

"Wow, that's really sad. I'm kind of surprised that you're ok with all of that."

"I wanted to be an actor no matter what the cost." He said, looking down and then looking at me. "I've had to give up a lot of things for it, but it's my dream...so it's worth it."

"All of those terrible things that you named off are really worth it?"."

"Just because I'm exposed to it doesn't mean I have to do it. I just have to be one of the very few people who take their fame package and don't accept the last half of it."

"Are you one of those people?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Probably not."

We sat there in silence for a while before he stood up. "Come on, I'm sure that Natasha and Haley are wondering where you went."

"Yeah Natasha just sent me a text saying that her cousins Sam and Jamie told her that they are bringing these hot guys from their school to her party tonight."

"I'm sure she's excited about that." He said, catching me as I tripped over a rock.

"Thanks." I said, blushing in embarrassment.

"You're welcome." He said, offering me his dazzling smile.

"Are you going to Natasha's party?" I asked him.

"No, my mom's home again...and I guess I'd like to go spend some time with her tonight."

I smiled. "Mama's boy."

"Shut up. Just because I love my mother doesn't mean I'm a mama's boy."

"Well you are, so that's that."

"Bella, do you really want to start another argument?"

"No I guess not."

"Good." He said, as he suddenly scooped me up into his arms and spun me around the parking lot again.

"Edward!" I said in between my laughter. "Put me down already!"

"I can't." Was his simple response.

"Put me down!" I demanded again, put I could not stop laughing.

"Ah, mon amour je ne peux pas vous comprendre." He said, still not listening to me.

"What the heck did you just say?" I demanded resting my head against his shoulder and closing my eyes in an attempt to keep myself from getting too dizzy.

He merely laughed at me.

* * *

"Is this going to be a very controlled party?" Edward asked me after we pulled into Natasha's driveway. The dance had ended at ten, and the party wasn't officially starting until eleven, but there were already tons of people running around her yard like a bunch of animals.

"It should be, Natasha certainly isn't going to let there be any sort of illegal activity or anything." I said, looking around at everyone.

"Is that Emma?" Edward asked, pointing to some girl in a cheerleading outfit running around in circles in the yard.

"Yes that is." I said, laughing a bit. "She must have had a lot of Pixie Sticks."

"Pixie Sticks has nothing to do with that behavior." Edward said, laughing a little himself. "More like margaritas."

"Haley always blames her hyper behavior on Pixie Sticks."

"Haley is naturally hyper, I don't think Pixie Sticks should take the blame for that."

"That's what she blames it on." I said, laughing as I saw Emma's friend Cameron running around in circles with her now too. "Looks like Cameron got into the Pixie Sticks as well."

"And Bushra."

"Danielle too." I said. "Wow, they are really..."

"Intoxicated?"

"I was going to say weird, but intoxicated probably works better."

"I'd say so."

"Is it alright for me to get out of the car?" I asked.

"Yeah it's alright for you to get out of the car, but I'm not exactly sure I want you to quite yet."

"Why is that?"

Edward seemed to be looking at something out of my window, and I noticed Denver, Brandon, Kyle, and his girlfriend Kitty walking toward the house.

"I guess I'd rather wait to release you into this mess when Natasha gets here and can control it a little bit. I know she won't let anyone drink here, but there's defiantly been some sort of drinking going on somewhere."

"Why do you care if I'm around drunk people? I've spent hours at a time with Emmett before."

He laughed. "Emmett's a different type of drunk."

"You're probably around drunk people all the time."

"I am, but that doesn't have anything to do with you."

"_You_ are probably drunk all the time." I joked.

"Can we please not get into that again?" He asked, but he was smiling. "I gave you a peace offering..remember?"

"Of course I remember little Paix. He misses you, ya know?"

"I just saw Paix yesterday afternoon."

"But he knew that you were coming to get me tonight, and he was very upset that you didn't even come in and say hi!"

We both laughed. "It seriously does sound like we're talking about our kid or something." He said.

"If Paix is our kid, one of us must be half panda or something."

"Either that or you had an affair with a panda."

"Ew!" I said, and he laughed. "I'd rather be half panda, thanks."

"Ok, you be half panda, because I'd like to stay human."

"Fine, I'm the one that's half panda."

"Good, glad we got that settled." He said.

"Yep, I learned something I never knew about myself."

"What was that?"

"I'm half panda! Hello! Did we not just establish this?"

"Where does the panda gene come from, your mom or dad's side?"

"So dad's."

"Your dad's side?"

"Yep, us Swans are known for our panda gene."

He laughed. "We are so messed up."

"We kind of are."

"Kind of? We're talking about having a panda cub together, and we're trying to decide which side of your family the panda gene comes from."

I laughed as well. "Maybe we're a little intoxicated too."

"I haven't been into the alcohol, or the Pixie Sticks."

"Me either."

"So we're just plain weird."

"Yeah I guess that's it."

He looked over at me and smiled. "If we actually did have a non-panda child together...I bet it would be hot."

"Why would it be hot?" I asked, surprised he even wanted to talk about this.

"I'd be the father...duh."

"So it has nothing to do with _my_ appearance?"

He pretended like he was looking me up and down. "Yeah, about that...I'm sorry Bella...but I think the child would defiantly be inheriting its sexiness from me."

"And why is that?"

"They couldn't get it anywhere else." He said, with a grin...which caused me to smack him in response.

"You're probably right as a matter of fact." I said, watching the girls who were still running around in circles.

"I know I'm right." He said. "Gosh can you imagine what sexy babies Rose and I will have?"

I laughed. "Yeah those would be some pretty good looking kids."

"Are you calling me hot?" He asked.

"Nope, I'm calling Rosalie pretty."

"So you hate Rosalie's guts...but you think she's pretty?"

"There's no denying that."

"No there's not...is there?"

"Ok Edward, you're hot, you're girlfriend's hot...we get the point...moving on."

He just shook his head and laughed at me.

"Can I get out of the car yet?" I asked.

"Is Natasha here yet?"

I looked around at all of the parked cars, but I didn't see Natasha's. "No, she's probably still taking down decorations."

"Then you're not getting out of the car."

"Why are you so worried about releasing me into a yard full of crazy teenagers?"

"I'm not saying that I'm worried. It's just that I was responsible for your well-being tonight, and I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving Rose, Alice, or anyone else at any kind of party until I knew that someone who had their head in check was on the premises."

"So you do care if something happens to me?"

"Bella I may hate your guts to the moon and back, but I don't want to feel guilty for the rest of my life if something would happen to you due to my leaving you at an unsupervised party."

"What could happen to me? There's just a few girls running around in circles in the yard...and Haley does that when she's sober!"

"I just don't have a good feeling about it, that's all." He said, looking up at the front porch in the general direction of his friends. "Why are you so anxious to get out of the car?"

"I'm not anxious."

"It seems like you're sick of me and you'd like to get out of here as soon as possible."

"Edward for once in my life, I can truthfully say that I am not sick of being with you."

"Really? Why is that?"

"You've actually been fairly nice to me tonight."

"I guess you have been pretty nice to me too."

"And you bought my really expensive supper."

"Really expensive supper? Heck that was dirt cheap."

"Dirt cheap? The bill came up to three hundred and twenty-seven dollars!"

He laughed. "I guess my idea of cheap is different than your idea of cheap."

"It certainly is. Just like my idea of party safety is different than yours."

"So you think this party is safe?"

"Yes I really do think this party is safe. I'm sure you've been to a lot worse parties out there in LA."

"I have."

"My point."

"But I know how to deal with those sort of situations, and I don't have to worry about certain things as much."

"What certain things?"

"No certain things. Just wait until Natasha gets here to get out of the car...ok?"

"Fine." I said, laughing a bit. "You're going to be the kind of father who's never going to let his daughter do anything...aren't you?"

He laughed as well. "You got that right."

I looked out of the window and noticed Natasha's car pull into the mess. "Ha! Edward, there she is!"

Edward looked out of the window as well, just to make sure I was telling him the truth. "Ok, I see that she's here."

"So can I go now?"

He pretended to act disgusted. "I guess so."

I laughed at him as I started to open the passenger's side door to get out of the car and go join my friends.

"Bella, wait a second." I heard him say.

"What now? She's here."

"I know she's here." He said, looking over at me. "I just wanted to let you know that I actually had a kind of good time with you tonight."

I smiled. "I had a kind of good time with you tonight too."

"It's not always so bad when we are nice to one another."

"No, it isn't always so bad."

"Thank you for coming to the dance with me."

"Thank you for asking me, and for taking me out to supper and stuff."

"Hey, I'm only in Phoenix for a few more months...what's three hundred bucks for one night out?" He said, smiling at me.

"I guess it's not that much." I said, smiling back at him.

"You be careful here." He instructed. "It should be a fairly controlled party...like you said...but still watch out for questionable looking people."

"Ok, I'll be careful."

"If I don't see you tomorrow, I guess that I'll see you on Monday."

"You'll probably get bored and decide to stop by at some point in time tomorrow."

"Yeah, maybe we can go to the mall or something."

"And see your Gothic girlfriend?"

"Ha, you read my mind."

I laughed. "Goodbye Edward."

"Goodbye Bella." He said.

The two of us didn't say a word, we just remained starring at one another for a very long time. Before I knew it, I found myself leaning into him, and the familiar feeling of his breath fanning across my face. When we got close enough that our foreheads were resting against one another, we paused for a moment before we started to lean in the rest of the way. I had a feeling that tonight was going to work out for me, that nothing was going to go wrong. His lips softly brushed against mine, and we paused for another short moment before our lips nearly locked together.

But there was this loud _thud_ on the window, and we both instantly turned around to see what it was. It was Haley, standing by my window..waving at us like crazy.

I shook my head and sighed in disgust. "That's my wake up call." I joked, and he laughed awkwardly. "See ya later Edward."

"Bye Bella." He said, as I got out of the car and closed the door. While Haley and I were walking into the house, I hit her.

"What was that for girl?" She asked me, rubbing her arm.

"Haley...I was like that close to kissing Edward...and you killed it!"

"Oh, I thought you wouldn't want to kiss him."

"Why _wouldn't_ I want to kiss him?" I asked.

"Well he doesn't fit all of the regulations...does he?"

I turned around and looked at the silver Volvo, and saw that he was sitting there, starring at me...like he was waiting to make sure that I got inside ok.

I shook my head. "No...he doesn't."

"See...so I did you a bigs favor!"

"Yep. I didn't want to kiss him after all." I said, sighing as I allowed myself one last glance at the Volvo before I went inside.

* * *

**So what did you guys think? That was more of a serious chapter than others, and the next one will be fairly serious too, but the chapter after that is going to be a lot of randomness...and a new character! Yea! **

**I have links to Bella, Haley, and Natasha's costumes on my page if you'd like to look at them. :)**

**Thanks again!**

**~Hazl~  
**


	11. Chapter 11

**I was very glad that everyone enjoyed the last chapter! You guys don't know how happy it makes me to see all of your wonderful reviews! Since you are all such lovely readers, here's another chapter for you to enjoy. :)**

* * *

**Chapter 11**

"Bella..what the heck is this?" Edward asked me, storming towards Haley and I before our English class on Monday.

Haley and I both laughed as he held up my spaghetti stained bra. Haley had never took it home, so she got the idea that we should stuff it in his locker.

"Why is your bra in my locker?" He asked, pretending to be upset, but a slight smile played across his lips.

"It was Haley's idea." I said in between laughter.

"What kind of sick idea is this?" He asked, but he was laughing as well. He threw my bra back at me. "Take your smelly bra home and wash it already, for goodness sakes."

I laughed. "Yeah, that's the closest you're ever going to come to seeing my bra." I joked.

"Cullen she just got you good!" Denver called as he walked past us into Miss Lovely's room.

Edward starred at me with a stunned expression on his face.

"Here Haley." I said, throwing my bra to her. She chucked it into her locker. "We need to get to class."

"Let's frolic!" Haley exclaimed, as she locked her arm through mine. The two of us sort of skipped into Miss Lovely's room while Edward slowly walked in behind us right before the bell rang.

Miss Lovely didn't bother telling us what to work on, because everyone knew they were supposed to be working on their writing assignments. Thanks to the talk Edward and I had over the weekend at the Halloween dance, I knew what I was going to write about. I decided to take out a piece of paper and scribble down a few basic ideas, but I wasn't going to get too in depth.

Edward sat his books down on his desk and took some pieces of paper up to Miss Lovely's desk to staple together, before he handed them to her.

"What is this Edward?" She asked.

"My assignment." He responded, which caused everyone to stop what they were doing and look at him.

"You're done?" I asked in shock.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah I'm done. I guess this assignment wasn't so hard after all."

Even Miss Lovely seemed surprised. "Is there five pages worth here?" She asked.

"Yeah it's all there." Edward said, taking a seat at his desk. "You can read it if you want, let me know if something needs changed."

She nodded her head. "I'll take a look at it."

"How in the world are _you_ done already?" I asked him.

"I told you I had an idea for this assignment."

"Do you think it's any good?"

"Probably not, but I had an idea and I was able to write about it without any help. I couldn't let that pass."

"What did you write about?" I asked.

"The only somewhat sad and aggravating thing in my life I could think about."

"I'm very proud of you Edward."

"Why?"

"You're finally turning into a writer."

"Ha, I wouldn't say that, but at least I actually got the concept for once in my life."

"I guess that's a good thing."

"Yeah it is." He said, looking at my brainstorming sheet. "Do you have anything yet?"

"No, some of us don't get our writing assignments done so fast." I said, looking up at him.

He smiled. "It looks good for the cameras if I turn in my homework early." He said, motioning to the camera crew at the back of the room.

"Crap, I forgot about your stupid camera crew."

"Hey don't insult the camera crew! They're people too...they have feelings."

"Sorry camera crew!" I called to the back of the room before I turned back around. "There I apologized to the camera crew."

"Good, they were deserving an apology from you."

"Is it so bad that I have a problem being filmed constantly?"

"You're not being filmed constantly...just when you're at school."

"Oh my bad." I said sarcastically. "Don't you have a problem with being filmed all the time?"

"Really Bella? I love the camera, and the camera loves me. I have no problem with it at all."

"If it was up to you, your whole life would be on film."

"You got that right." He said proudly.

"Edward would you come up here for a minute?" Miss Lovely asked.

"Ooh, that means she wants you to change something." I said, nudging Edward.

"You...Bella...yeah, you're gonna shut up about...now." He said, getting up and walking over to Miss Lovely's desk.

I merely laughed, and pretended like I was doing my work, but I was really eavesdropping on their conversation.

Miss Lovely looked at Edward and smiled. "This was a very nice paper Edward. It was worded very well, and the grammar and punctuation was extremely accurate."

"But?" Edward asked, just knowing that she found something wrong with it.

"Why did you chose to write about this subject?"

"It's the most aggravating thing in my life."

She laughed a little. "Well if your inability to write a good paper is the most aggravating thing in your life, you must have a very nice life."

I couldn't help but laugh. So Edward did his paper on how he couldn't think of anything to write about? Nice.

"I don't really have any complaints about my life." Edward said.

"Edward, I know that you can do this." Miss Lovely said, pointing to his paper. "All of the potential is right here."

"You think I can write?"

"Edward I _know_ that you can write. You just don't know it yet."

He thought about this for a moment before he shook his head. "I just don't understand what's wrong with this paper."

"Edward this paper would be amazing...if it had some connection to it."

"It lacks connection?"

"All of your writing tends to lack connection."

"That's what Bella says." Edward said, looking at me.

Miss Lovely looked at me as well. "Bella's very smart. Do you ever go to her for advice?"

Edward and I both laughed.

"Only all the time." I said.

"Come up here Bella." Miss Lovely instructed. "Maybe if you hear what I'm going to tell Edward you can help him outside of class."

"Sure." I said, getting up and standing beside Edward.

"Now the only other thing I don't really like about this paper Edward, is the subject."

"What is wrong with the subject?" He asked.

"It's just a very general subject. It's hard to fill five pages with very general subject matter, especially when it lacks connection. It can become very boring after a while, regardless of how amazing the grammar is."

"So what you're saying is that I have to totally rewrite my paper?"

"That's what I would suggest." She said. "I think you just got an idea and wanted to go with it because you actually had an idea for once. So you wrote about it, and really didn't put much more thought into it than that."

He looked at me and then back at her. "Yeah you're exactly right."

"Ok Edward, be ready to listen to me. I'm going to try and help you with this the best I can, and I need you to absorb everything I'm telling you...alright?"

"Alright."

"Edward like I said, you have all the potential to be a good writer, the connection is the only thing missing. I believe that when you are assigned something to write about, you panic...and you don't really trust your abilities...so you over think things and can't come up with anything to write."

"See it's like I always told you. You have the tendency to panic about writing assignments as soon as they are handed out to you." I said, trying to help as well.

"I can't help but over think things. I know I won't be able to come up with anything good to write about, so I will spend hours keeping myself up at night trying to think of ideas. Nothing ever does come."

"Then you know what you need to change?" Miss Lovely told him. "Don't think about writing at all. If you go searching for something to write about, you won't find anything, and you will drive yourself mad trying to find something. Let what you're going to write about come to you."

"Yeah Edward." I said. "I hadn't really thought of what I was going to write my paper about until the conversation we had on Saturday, which sparked an idea inside of me."

"So I need to not think about writing at all?" He asked.

"Exactly." She said, smiling at him.

"What else do I need to do?"

"You need to find connection."

"That's always been your biggest problem." I told him.

"Yes, and it surprises me that it is your biggest problem." Miss Lovely said.

"Why is that?" Edward asked her.

"Well Edward, for being as full of yourself as you are, you'd think that you wouldn't have any problem with finding connection."

"I guess I don't completely understand what connection is, let alone how to find it."

"Ok, let me explain." She said. "Connection is how you and your audience can...for lack of a better word...connect to your writing. Sometimes the author may connect to the writing, but the audience may not, sometimes it's the other way around, and sometimes there is no connection at all."

"Which is my case...right?"

"Right. Which is kind of a bad thing..because as a writer, you should be able to connect with and believe in your own writing. And Edward, I think everyone in this room knows that you don't believe in your writing one bit."

He shook his head in response. "No, I don't."

"So here's what you need to do. The key to connection for an author is to relate what they are writing about to themselves, whether it be slightly, or a lot."

"Like you told me, with the assignment about the sun." Edward said, looking at me.

"Yeah."

"You helped him with that?" Miss Lovely asked me.

"I tried to tell him to connect that assignment to him, yes."

"That was probably one of your better papers." She said to Edward.

I smiled at Edward, and he shook his head at me and turned back to Miss Lovely.

"So I need to connect the paper to myself?"

"That's the key. Which is why I find it so odd that you can't bring any connection into your writing." Miss Lovely told him.

"Because I love myself." Edward said simply.

"That's exactly it." She said. "Connecting the assignment to yourself makes it ten times easier to write about, and you feel it more...because it relates to you. The second key to connection is to make sure you are writing about something real enough for your audience to connect to. If you can master those two things, your paper will have everything you need."

"The key is connection?"

"The key is connection, yes. Now for this assignment...I want you to totally rewrite it. Pick a different subject and everything, and take your time so you can try and nail this connection thing."

He sighed. "This is going to be really difficult."

"It's supposed to be difficult, it's not an easy assignment, and it shouldn't be."

"Well it's bad enough that I can't write at all, but I'm usually a very happy person...so writing in this mood is kind of weird."

"That's the whole point to the assignment. It shouldn't feel right."

"So how do I find something to write about without driving myself mad?"

"You need to find inspiration." She told him, and I nodded my head in approval. "There are many ways you can do that."

"Well please fill me in, because I have _no_ idea how to find inspiration."

"Different people have different ways of finding inspiration." She said, pushing his paper aside. "One way can work for one person, and a different way can work for another. It depends on who you are."

"Tell me all the ways it can be done, since every person in here knows I need all the help I can get when it comes to writing."

I laughed, and he tried to glare at me, but ended up laughing as well.

"First off, you could talk to somebody that usually inspires you to do things."

"Like your mom." I said, smiling at him.

Miss Lovely smiled as well. "You could try and go some place relaxing, like the spa...or a park or something. Clear your mind of all thoughts and just allow it to be open, something could come to you in that case."

"What else?" He asked.

"You could go to a place you usually feel inspired to do things. When I was younger, I really enjoyed ridding horses. So when I was trying to find inspiration for my writing, I'd go to the stable I kept my horse in and just stand there for hours on end, trying to feel the inspiration that I felt before competitions, and use it to inspire me to write. Sometimes something would come to me, and sometimes it wouldn't. Truthfully it all really depends on the person."

"Should I try some of these things?"

"They are merely suggestions. Something completely different could work for you." She handed him his paper. "Find inspiration, then use the idea you come up with and go with it. Relate it to yourself and really incorporate the dark emotion. Do that, and you will have one fantastic paper on your hands."

"And if I don't manage to find inspiration or connection or anything like that?" He asked.

"Then you can give me that paper." She said, motioning to the paper he held in his hand. "But until then, I want you to take your time with this, and ask Bella for help when I'm not around."

I looked over at Edward and offered him an angelic smile.

He laughed at me. "Ok, I guess it won't hurt to try."

"And Edward." Miss Lovely said, trying to get his attention before he walked away.

"Yes Miss Lovely?" He asked. I went ahead and sat back down at my desk.

"Most of all, try and believe in yourself. You have no idea how much talent is crammed inside that head of yours...just waiting to express itself. It simply has never had the opportunity because you don't believe in it."

He didn't respond, he just listened to her in order to absorb everything she was telling him.

"You know the author Sylvia Plath once said "The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt"... and Edward, your self-doubt is the only thing preventing you from writing something great. Ignore that self-doubt...and _write_."

"I'll try." He said. "Thanks Miss Lovely."

"You're very welcome Edward." She said, smiling at him before she started grading a few papers. Edward let out a long sigh as he sat down at his desk.

"So are you going to be worrying about this all day now?" I asked him.

"Oh you can count on it." He replied, before resting his head on his desk.

"What are you doing?"

"Taking a freaking nap."

"Why...might I ask?"

"I'm searching for inspiration."

I laughed. "Well good luck with that."

"Yeah, luck is certainly what I'm going to need."

I looked over at Kyle, who was sleeping as well. "You know, napping doesn't really help Kyle that much."

"Kyle's a moron...at least I have some brains."

"Some, not too many." I said.

"Bella."

"Yes?"

"If you want me to be a nice person to you for the rest of the day...I suggest you shut up."

"Fine, whatever you say Edward." I said, laughing a little.

"I cannot have self-confidence when you insult me in such a manner."

I laughed at him. "Yeah, how do you think my self-confidence holds up when you insult me?"

"At least you can write."

"True, at least I can write." I said, shaking my head and smiling as I went back to working on my brainstorming sheet.

* * *

I was staying after school to help Natasha and Haley paint sets for the junior high Thanksgiving play. They were up in the art room working on some gigantic turkey, and my job was to fetch miscellaneous set pieces from the auditorium to bring to them, since I lacked artistic skill.

They had just instructed me to go get a small wooden cut out figure that should resemble a pumpkin. Natasha told me that Kyle and Denver had cut the figures out for her in shop class, and she wasn't sure how much the figure would actually resemble a pumpkin...but I was still supposed to look for it.

She had given me to the keys to the auditorium, since it was a little after five o'clock, and other than the janitor and a few basketball players...we were the only people in the school. I wasn't exactly sure which key she told me unlocked the auditorium, but I had it narrowed down to about ten.

The auditorium was all the way on the other side of the school, so it took a long time to get there. I finally reached the large wooden doors after hiking through the hallways for a good five minutes. I tried the first key that I thought would unlock the door, but it didn't fit, so I tried the next one. To my immense displeasure, it didn't fit either.

I got really aggravated when I tried the eighth key and it still didn't fit, so I went to jiggle the door handle, and much to my surprise, the door opened...obviously indicating it was already unlocked. I found that odd at first, but just assumed that the janitor was in there cleaning up for the evening.

But when I walked inside the auditorium, it wasn't the janitor I saw, but Edward. He was laying in the exact center of the stage, with his eyes closed, facing the ceiling. I couldn't help but laugh at him as I slowly walked up the stairs.

"Hey there." I said, catching his attention. He opened his eyes at the sound of my voice and turned his head to look at me.

"Oh, hey Bella."

"What the heck are you doing?" I asked.

He looked around himself and laughed. "Trying to find inspiration."

I walked over closer to him. "And you do so by laying on the stage floor?"

"Sure, why not?"

I laughed. "Mind if I join you?"

"I guess not, there's plenty of stage here."

I got down beside him. "So why did you come in here for inspiration?"

"Miss Lovely said to go somewhere you usually feel inspired to do great things, and that helps sometimes."

"And you feel inspired to do great things on this stage?"

"Well yeah." He said. "When I was in school, this is where I got a lot of my acting experience...here on this stage, in plays and stuff. I'd always feel real inspired to be my best and showcase my talent. Acting on this stage in turn, also inspired me to really work toward becoming the type of actor I knew I wanted to be."

"How did that ever come across?" I asked.

"My want to be an actor?"

"Yeah...where did that come from? It's like you were born and just knew that's what you wanted to do."

He seemed like he was thinking about it. "Mom has told me before that she distinctly remembers me saying I wanted to be an actor when I wasn't even quite two years old yet."

"Wow, that's really young. Most kids don't even know actors really exist until they're a lot older. They always think that the character is the actual person."

"Exactly...so I'm sure I really freaked my parents out by just _knowing_ what an actor was."

"I bet you did." I said. "So you just knew you wanted to act?"

"I just knew, I don't know how..but I did."

"Why is it that you find so much enjoyment in pretending to be something you're not for a living?"

"Again, I don't know why. I'm just very passionate about it, always have been. I guess I really like not telling the truth." He said, smiling.

I smiled as well, knowing he was referring to what I had said about him during our fight in the cafeteria. "Did you ever think about being anything else?"

"Not once. I mean...my parents tried to tell me that becoming an actor may not be a very logical career choice, so they wanted me to have a backup plan...so I set one up just to make them happy, but I always knew that wasn't for me."

"What was your backup plan?"

"I was going to become a doctor so my "intellect wasn't wasted"...as my dad liked to say."

I laughed. "So your parents weren't really supportive of your want to act at first?"

"Well picture this Bella...I'm young enough that I'm not even potty trained yet, and I'm telling my parents I want to be an actor, which is certainly reason to freak them out enough. Of course at that age, they thought I'd grow out of it...and get older and want to be a doctor or something, just because little kids always think they're going to grow up and be something they never really will be."

"I used to think I was going to be a ballerina when I was younger."

He laughed. "Yeah, like I said...lots of little kids think they're going to grow up and be something they will never be."

"That actually doesn't insult me. I have no idea why I ever thought I could be a ballerina."

" Yeah, you changed your mind as you got older, but you see...my parents thought it was a phase, they thought I'd grow out of it."

"And you never did."

He shook his head. "I grew into it instead. And to add to my parent's displeasure toward my want to act, both of their families have always been very practical when it comes to careers. My dad comes from a long line of doctors, and my mother had a lot of businessmen and lawyers in her family. Everyone in their families just thought very practical, so when I was saying I wanted to go into such an unpractical field as acting...it sort of freaked them out."

"But your mom took you to all those photo shoots and stuff when you were young."

"That wasn't so much to expose me to the element of fame..so to say. Mom really just wanted to show off her children to the world, which is why she'd take Alice and I to those shoots. Yes, she also did it to try and get me used to that kind of work at a very young age, but that wasn't her main intent with it."

"So your parents just thought you were a crazy kid, and it would be something that you would grow out of?"

"Oh yeah, so then when they finally started to realize I wasn't going to give up on being an actor, they thought maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Of course, they were just thinking that I would be an actor in plays, or maybe a small TV show if I was lucky. But then I started stating that I wanted to be a movie star, which freaked them out again...because being a movie star is just a little bit more difficult."

"Yeah I could understand that. How old were you when you started saying you were going to be a movie star?"

"Not very old, I'm sure...because I would say stuff like that during preschool...wouldn't I?"

"Yeah you would." I said, trying to remember.

"So as they were trying to accept that, I hit them with my next want."

"What was that?"

"I told them I was going to be in the number one world blockbuster movie."

"And you were probably what...like ten years old?"

"More like seven or eight."

"Wow, you were like some kind of whiz kid when it came to acting."

"Yeah, so then when I told them I wanted to be the greatest movie star in the whole world...they really freaked out, because I was just a kid,but I had these huge expectations for myself. And as parents, they really didn't want me to fail at it and have my heart broken because I couldn't get into that world."

"I could see their point. The world of fame is very hard to get into, especially the world you wanted to get into."

"It is really hard to get into." He said. "So that's when they tried doing everything they could to help me try and reach my dreams. They'd take me to auditions for anything, and they were actually quite surprised when I'd get something. They knew that I always had the leads in school plays and such, but never thought I was good enough to be as fantastic as I wanted to be."

"None of us thought you'd be good enough to be where you are now, truthfully." I said.

"I know...you guys were all stupid." He said, smiling. "So my parents knew I had some potential talent, and maybe it was enough talent to make me satisfied enough that I'd forget about my other less obtainable dreams...but I never did. Then as they started seeing that I was getting more roles...their opinion of me changed."

"Did you ever doubt that you were going to be able to be as great as you are today? I mean it seems like everyone else doubted what you could do."

"I know this really sounds like I'm bragging myself up a lot, but to tell you the honest truth, no."

"So you knew you were good enough?"

"I knew I was good enough to be everything I wanted to be, yes. I didn't doubt my ability as an actor at all. I was just waiting for some else not to doubt my talent either. But for a long time, it seemed like I was the only one that really knew what I was capable of."

"What happened when you got the lead in Love to Hate You?"

"Well when I went to audition for Love to Hate You, my mom and I flew to LA and went to the audition. There were only a few people in the room at the time, and Rosalie was one of them. I had to read off a few lines from the script and all the other usual stuff. They all seemed pretty pleased with me when I left, and I felt pretty good about my audition myself. I walked out of there just knowing I was going to get a callback. So when I got a call from the production company...I was expecting them to say that I had a callback...but they just told me that I had the lead, no callback necessary...and that Rosalie specifically requested I star in that movie alongside her."

"That was kind of nice of her."

"Yeah, especially since I was a totally unknown actor, and no one could predict how well I was going to do."

"That may be the nicest thing she's ever done for you."

He laughed a little. "Maybe. But regardless, when I told my parents I got the lead...they were shocked, and happy for me, there's no doubt in that, but that didn't want me to take it."

"Why not?"

"Well for one they didn't want to have to move to LA and leave Phoenix. But they knew that Love to Hate You was a movie that had the potential to be a blockbuster and put me at the level of fame I wanted to reach...and they absolutely _did not_ want me to reach that level of fame at that young of an age."

"Because they were afraid it would mess with your head or something?"

"Of course. They had read all of these stories in magazines about young child stars who turn into crazy drinkers and drug abusers because the fame was all too much for them to handle. And at the time, I was a very good kid. I never got in any trouble at school, I was an all "A" student, and I was still pretty young. They were so afraid that LA, the fame, and that whole world would just mess with me, and make me like every almost every other child star."

"So did they try and talk you out of taking the role?"

"They did. I had a week to decide whether or not I wanted the role before I had to call back. Then if I took it, we had to be totally moved into LA in less than three weeks time...hence the reason for me leaving without no warning at all. It was sort of a last minute decision, because my parents tried to spend every second leading up to the end of that week convincing me not to take it."

"But you did take it."

"I took it." He said, closing his eyes as he thought about the memory. "I had to promise them something though."

"They made you promise something to them?"

"Well they didn't make me promise anything to them, but I felt like I had to."

"What was it?"

"I promised that I would not do that to myself, that I wouldn't let the fame get to my head because I was prepared for it, and I knew that in order for me to achieve my dreams...the fame was going to come with it. I promised them I wouldn't turn into one of those child stars they read about in the magazines."

"Have you kept that promise?"

He opened his eyes. "So far, yes."

"So far? Do you think you will break it sometime?"

"I'm not planning on it. If I for any reason do turn into one of those crazy used-to-be child stars, it won't be because of the fame getting to my head...I can tell you that."

"Why would you go crazy then?"

"I don't know exactly, but it wouldn't have anything to do with fame."

I yawned as I tried to stretch my legs out. "So are your parents ok with you acting now?"

"Yes they are perfectly ok with it now. Every parent wants their child to be happy, and they know that I'm really happy where I'm at right now, and they're very proud of me for accomplishing the things I have."

"What does your family think about LA?"

"I think if anyone has a problem with it at all, it would be mom...because she's just so used to her simple little life, and she doesn't exactly like that people are constantly taking pictures of her when she wants to go on a jog or something. She also doesn't like all of the maids and servants and stuff...because she's a housewife, and she feels sort of useless not being able to do housework."

"Everyone else loves it there though?"

"Dad really likes the hospital he's working at, Alice always thought she'd like to go to LA with me someday anyway, and Emmett really enjoys the lifestyle."

"And you are practically in love with it?"

"Heck yeah. I remember the first time I went to LA like it was yesterday. I was thirteen years old, and I had to go there for some kind of audition. I took pictures of everything and just loved it. I knew I wanted to go back so bad, but I didn't get the chance to until I auditioned for Love to Hate You."

"So before you moved there, you had only been to LA twice?"

"Only twice....yet I knew that's where I belonged."

"Wow, that's insane."

"Yeah." He said, sighing happily. "My whole life is kind of insane."

I laughed a little and we were both quiet for a while.

"So how is this going?" I asked, after our short moment of silence.

"How is what going?"

"Finding inspiration...has anything come to you yet?"

He turned around slowly to look at me as a slight smile spread across his face. "I think something just did."

"Is it something you can write about?"

"Yeah, I think it just might work." He said, looking kind of excited.

"Well good for you." I said, getting up and brushing the dust off of my jeans. "I guess I should get going, Natasha and Haley are probably wondering where I'm at."

He sat up slightly and watched me drag the pumpkin figure out from behind the curtain. "Hey Bella, my entire family is going to be home later this week."

"Really? Your whole family? As in Alice, Emmett, and your _dad_?"

He laughed. "Everyone...even Jasper."

"_Jasper?_" I asked, and I couldn't help but smile. Rosalie's twin brother Jasper was very attractive. Like Rosalie, he too was fairly famous. He had done a little bit of acting when he was younger, but he decided he liked modeling better. I was guilty of owning a shirtless poster of him...but I never had hung it up. I had never been lucky enough to meet Jasper yet.

Edward laughed. "Don't get too excited there Bella. He is taken."

"And Alice...gosh I love Alice!"

"Yeah Alice seems to be quite fond of you."

"Aw...really?"

"Yeah I don't know what's wrong with her."

I gently hit him with the pumpkin figure. "I haven't talked to Alice in a real long time."

"Well if you want to see Alice, and Jasper I guess...you should come have dinner at our house or something."

"Sounds fun." I said. "You can count me in...what night?"

"How about Thursday? That's when they're all getting here. Mom is already home, you knew that...and Emmett's actually flying in tonight."

"How long are they all staying here?"

"Alice and dad will go back Sunday afternoon. The only reason Alice found the time to make it up here is because her school is letting out for parent teacher conferences on Thursday and Friday, so dad took those two days and the weekend off work."

"Jasper, Emmett, and your mom are staying?"

"Jasper and Emmett are going to stay until next Wednesday, because Jasper's never been to Phoenix before, so Emmett's going to show him around. Mom isn't going to leave until next Friday."

"Ok, so dinner at your house on Thursday?"

"Yeah."

"What time do you want me to come up there?"

"My chef is going to serve the meal at precisely six-thirty...so if you want to have some time to babble with Alice, and stare at Jasper and my dad, since you for some reason find them attractive...I suggest you come a little earlier than that."

"Could I bring Haley or Natasha with me?"

"Sure, they are welcome to come as well. Oh, and try and dress up too."

"Dress up? Like in dress pants or something?"

"If you have them. My family always regards dinner as a very formal situation, especially when we have guests...it's weird."

"Must be a rich people thing. I always have to dress up for dinner at Natasha's house too."

"Must be. Emmett never follows that rule though. You're lucky if he shows up to the dinner table dressed _at all_."

"Thanks for the unneeded mental images."

"You're very welcome."

"Ugh Edward, I don't have any dress pants."

"Borrow some from your mom."

"Are you crazy? They won't fit me."

"Then wear a dress."

"Yeah because I own a thousand dresses."

"Why don't you wear the dress you wore to homecoming?"

"Is that formal enough?" I asked.

"Bella you wore it as a homecoming attendant and it passed Natasha's approval...I think it's fine."

"Ok, I guess I'll wear that."

"You and I should do something tomorrow after school too." He said.

I laughed. "Why?"

"I'll be too busy entertaining my family over the weekend, I don't want you to feel deprived of my presence."

I laughed again. "Fine Edward, we'll do something tomorrow afternoon. What do you have in mind?"

"We can go get something to eat and maybe surprise a few of my fans in Wal-mart or something. Then maybe we could go to my house and you could meet my chef."

"Why would I want to meet your chef?"

"He's a cool guy, you should like him."

"Ok Edward, I guess I'm in with that plan too."

"I knew you would be." He said, walking with me to the auditorium doors. He held them open for me so that I could make it out in the hallway safely. "Sorry to leave you...but I need to get home and start writing something down before this idea escapes my mind."

I smiled at him. "Well good luck with that."

"Thanks." He said, flashing his dazzling smile at me. Then he did something that really surprised me. He took a hold of my free hand and gently kissed me on the cheek. "For everything." He said, before he turned and walked away without another word.

I was too shocked to say anything at first, but then I just took a deep breath and called after him. "Sure, anytime!"

He didn't respond, so I turned around and began my trip back to the art room...and the smile on my face never did disappear the whole way there.

* * *

**I hope you guys liked it. I know it was a much more serious chapter than others..but it gave you a little bit of background knowledge on Edward's history concerning acting. Don't worry..the randomness shall show up in the next chapter! Edward and Bella taking a trip to Wal-mart...what does that sound like to all of you? **

**The chapter after that is going to be when Bella goes over to the Cullen house for dinner. Expect Emmett randomness, Carlisle amazingness (I have a mini-crush on him..lol), Jasper,and ALICE! Yea!  
**

**After that chapter, things are going to start to get a little interesting. ;)  
**

**As for my play list...it's coming along. I've started assigning some songs to certain chapters, but there's still a lot of work left to be done.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**~Hazl~  
**


	12. Chapter 12

**Lol you guys don't have to threaten death to encourage me to update. :) I kept meaning to post something up, but last week was insane...full of show choir practices, New Year's festivities, etc. I went back to school on Monday...but my week got really bad from there. I wasn't feeling well Sunday evening, and I actually got sick Monday morning, but went to school anyway. I didn't feel good on Tuesday either, but I still went to school. However, I ended up calling home before I had even been there for an hour, and I stayed home from school the rest of the day. Wednesday school was canceled, but I still wasn't feeling well, and remained lounging around the house all day. Finally on Thursday, I thought I would try and go to school...because I felt better, but I ended up staying home from school then as well. I felt really bad because I knew how much you guys wanted an update, and I really didn't want to miss anymore school. But I am feeling a bit better now, and I apologize for making you wait so long. Trust me...I spent all weekend trying to get this together!  
**

**And if anyone is wondering who called me a copy cat in the reviews...don't worry...I'm not stealing someone else's story...it's just one of my friends being a butt face. Lol...I have this guy friend and we pick on one another all the time, and he has recently been picking on my fan fiction...calling me a "copy-cat writer" because what I write is based off of something else and "unoriginal" as he says. So he told me to tell him how to find my story so he could actually read some of it, and I gave him the instructions...only to have him post that review. He then proceeded to question my username (which forced me to explain the story behind it via text message), and then he made fun of me for applying to 52 out of the 100 things on the stupid test I have on my profile. *Insert eye roll here.*Haha, don't worry...I made sure to yell at him. :D  
**

* * *

**Chapter 12**

Edward came and picked me up at my house shortly after school on Tuesday. I had tried to encourage him to let me drive my truck, since we were only going to Wal-mart and his house...but he protested against that idea, and we ended up taking the Volvo instead. I had no idea why he felt like going to Wal-mart, out of all of the places to go in Phoenix. But whatever, maybe he was trying to satisfy the normal, non-famous person inside of him...if it even existed.

"I didn't even know that you shopped at Wal-mart." I said as he pulled into a parking space.

"Oh I don't. But back in LA, sometimes when I get bored...I gather Emmett and Alice up and we go to Wal-mart and create chaos."

"You create chaos?" I asked, actually kind of surprised. "Oh, I guess you did say that you take Emmett with you."

"Sometimes it's fun just to go to Wal-mart and walk around for a while. But most of the time we like to stir up a little trouble. You seriously should try going to Wal-mart with all of us sometime, it's insane."

I laughed. "Ok Edward, I will so fly to LA just so I can goof off in Wal-mart with you and your siblings."

"You should go toilet papering with us too. That's pretty fun."

"You go toilet papering?" I asked, very shocked that he actually participated in some normal teenage activities.

"Heck yeah." He said, looking kind of proud of himself. "Toilet papering in LA is so much fun. We get Brad almost every weekend...it's great."

"Brad Pitt?"

"No Brad my camera guy...yes Brad Pitt, gosh Bella."

"You toilet paper Brad Pitt?"

"I believe we established this, yes."

We both burst into laughter after that for some unknown reason, and it took us a little bit to recover from.

"Alright, let's go create chaos in Wal-mart."

"Today's not so much about creating chaos...more so about meeting the fans." He said as we got out of the car.

"Are we going to have to stop every five feet so you can sign an autograph?"

He shook his head. "Nah." He said, before a slight smile crept across his face. "More like every five inches."

I groaned in disgust. "This is going to suck."

He laughed at me. "Hey, you were the one that agreed to come to Wal-mart with the world's greatest, and most handsome movie star...the occasional fan asking for an autograph is going to happen."

"_Occasional _fan? Every person we see is going to want to talk to you."

"I can understand why."

"Why?"

"I'm pretty much a big deal."

"The stupid catch phrase again? Really?"

"Really." He said as we walked through the doors and into the store. As soon as we walked in, people in line to check out started pointing in our direction.

"You've been spotted Mr. Cullen."

He laughed. "Bella you sound like one of my body guards or something."

"They tell you that you've been spotted?"

"My body guards are crazy...they go way beyond what they need to in order to "protect" me. That's one good thing about being here in Phoenix. At least I can step out in public without having to take a thousand body guards with me."

"You bring me instead?"

"Sure. Do you think you could protect me from someone if they tried to attack me?"

I merely smiled at his comment.

He offered me a suspicious smile in return. "What is that smile all about?"

I laughed. "Well, I was going to say that I would probably be the one attacking you, and if I wasn't...I'd more than likely stand there and cheer for the person that was doing it."

"Touché my dear, touché ." He said, stopping in the middle of the walkway.

"You suck."

"Thanks." He said with a smile.

I pretended to roll my eyes in disgust as I crossed my arms. "So where are we going?"

He looked like he was thinking about it for a minute. "I guess we could go to the junior's clothes. I'm sure a fan of mine would be there, and maybe you'll find yourself a pretty t-shirt." He joked.

"Ok, I'll go look for a pretty t-shirt." I said, as I walked away from him and into the junior's section. "But if I like it, you're going to buy it."

He came up behind me and started sorting through a few of the t-shirts on the display in front of us. "Yeah, that will put a _huge_ hole in my pocket. Spending five bucks on a freaking t-shirt."

I laughed as I started looking through the t-shirts myself. I never did find anything I liked, and Edward got distracted because a group of girls came up to him asking for autographs and pictures. Once he was finally finished talking to them we started walking through the food aisles. There were quite a few people in that section of the store, and they kept stopping Edward. I was becoming quite aggravated, but decided to be nice and not totally show it.

We were walking through the chip aisle talking about the different kinds of chips and why one kind is better than the other, when a soft little voice called out Edward's name from behind us.

"Edward Cullen?" The voice said, and we both turned around to see a young girl, maybe about eight or ten, standing there with a bag of chips...starring at Edward with pure awe.

A smile instantly spread across Edward's face, but it was a much different smile than the one he usually got when a fan recognized him. Usually when a fan would scream his name in order to get his attention, he'd instantly smile...but the smile almost seemed fake. It was more like the smile he'd get when he was teasing me...it was an overdone smile. But this smile was softer, warmer, and sweeter.

"Yes, I'm Edward Cullen." He said, walking toward the little girl.

The little girl starting bouncing up and down with excitement. "I can't believe it's really you!"

"It's really me." He said, glancing at me as I reached his side.

"I love you so much!" She said, still bouncing. "You're so handsome!"

"Handsome...that's a new one." I told him, smiling a bit myself.

"Well, thank you."

"It's true, it's really true." She said, calming down a bit."You're my favorite movie star!'

"I am?"

"You are!" She said. "My mommy always liked your Love to Hate You movie, and I begged her to let me watch it. She did, and that's when you became my favorite."

"Well that's a very nice story."

"It is." She said, swaying back and forth as she hugged the bag of chips close to her. "Could I have your autograph?"

"Why of course you can." He said, taking out his stack of post-it notes and his permanent marker. "What's your name?"

"I'm Sara...I'm eight years old."

"Eight years old...wow you're a big girl...aren't you Sara?"

"Yep, I sure am."

Edward tore her post-it note off of the stack and handed it to her. "There you are Sara."

Sara starred at the paper for what seemed to be hours, smiling like she had never seen someones signature before. "Oh thank you so much! I'm going to treasure this forever, and ever, and ever!"

Edward was scribbling his signature on another note and handed it to her. "And you can give that to your mommy if you think she'd like it."

"Oh yes she would! She loves you! She says that daddy is jealous of you because she talks about you more than him."

I laughed and looked and Edward.

"Well I'm sure your mommy is probably wondering where you're at. You better go get those chips to her."

"Oh these are for my brother." She said, looking down at the chips she was holding. "But I bet my mommy is looking for me."

"It was very nice to meet you Sara." He said.

"It was great to meet you too Edward!" She said, bouncing again. "Thank you for the autograph!"

"You're very welcome." He called after her as she proceeded to run away. But before she got out of the aisle, she stopped and looked right at me.

"Are you Bella?" She asked.

Edward looked over at me.

"Yes, I'm Bella." I said, wondering how she knew who I was.

Sara quickly ran back in our direction. "I didn't even see you there!"

"I was right here." I said, offering her a sweet smile.

"I see you all the time on his show!"She said, pointing at Edward. "You are so pretty!"

Edward laughed slightly and I felt like hitting him, but I didn't since Sara was there.

"Why thank you Sara." I said, not really knowing what else to say. I was shocked that someone actually recognized me from Edward's reality show on TV.

"Can I have your autograph too?" She asked. "Then I can show it and Edward's to all of my friends!"

"Well Sara I don't have any..." I started to say as Edward handed me his post-it notes and permanent marker. "I guess I do now."

She smiled and started bouncing up and down again as I starred at the stack of post-it notes.

"How do I sign an autograph?" I asked Edward.

He shook his head and smiled. "Bella, Bella, Bella. Just sign your name. It's not that complicated of an art."

"Yes but all of the celebrities always have such unique and interesting autographs. Your autograph isn't the same as your usual signature."

"Well, my autograph isn't the same as my usual signature used to be."

"Huh? Can I have some clarification please?"

He laughed. "Before I was famous, my autograph and my signature had two different appearances."

"But why did you even need to have an autograph if you weren't famous yet?"

"I practiced." He said, sticking his hands in his jacket pockets.

"Of _course_ you did." I said, laughing a bit.

"Now that I'm famous...I use my autograph as my autograph and my signature. It makes me feel more important."

"I guess that would make sense, knowing you." I said, still trying to think of how to sign the paper.

"Just sign your name Bella. If you really want to make it look different than your usual signature, make a few of the letters illegible or something."

I sighed and looked at the paper one more time before I signed my name. It wasn't much different than my usual signature, but it tried to make it look neat.

"There you are Sara." I said, handing it to her and giving Edward back his things.

She looked so excited as she read what I wrote. "Oh thank you Bella!"

"Not a problem. Sorry you had to wait so long, I've just never signed an autograph before."

"Really?" She asked, seeming surprised. "But you're famous!"

I laughed. "Not really. I just go to school and happen to get filmed by his camera crew." I said, pointing at Edward.

She smiled at the two of us. "You guys are such a cute couple."

Both Edward and I burst into a fit of nervous laughter, causing Sara to offer us a confused expression.

"Aren't you two boyfriend and girlfriend?" She asked, after a while.

I was too busy blushing to answer her, so I pretended to be looking at the chips next to me, in hopes that Edward didn't see how red my face was.

Edward was still laughing a little, but stepped up to the plate and answered her. "No, Bella and I are not boyfriend and girlfriend. I have a girlfriend, but it's not Bella."

"Really?" Sara asked, her voice sounding uncertain.

"Yep, really."

"Well I think you two should be boyfriend and girlfriend, you're really cute together." She said, before finally running away for good. I was still pretending to look at chips when Edward approached me.

"You dodged that situation quickly." He whispered in my ear, and I felt a shiver go up my spin as his breath fanned across my face.

"It was a very awkward situation." I said, trying not to look at him.

"I'll agree with you on that one."

"Wow, you're actually agreeing with me?"

"I believe I am." He said.

I finally allowed myself to turn around and look at him. "That's one for the record books."

He smiled. "Yeah well, don't get used to it, because it isn't going to happen very often."

I found myself starring into his eyes, realizing how close we were. "At least she was happy."

"Yeah she was a very sweet little girl." He said, his mischievous smile softening again. "And she knew who you were."

"That surprised me just a bit."

"Why?"

"It's not like I'm a movie star or anything. I'm not famous."

He laughed softly as he rested his forehead against mine. "Oh Bella...I think you'd be surprised."

"What do you mean?" I asked, once again finding it hard to form complete sentences when he was that close to me.

"You are actually quite famous due to my little show. You're in it a lot because you're around me a lot, and the fans actually like you."

"They do?"

"Yes, they do."

"But I don't do anything."

"You're around me, that's enough to make anyone famous."

"I tease you, taunt you, insult you, and dump food on you all the time." I said, trying to process why his fans would actually want more of me in his show.

"And you would think the fans would hate you for it, but oddly enough....they don't."

"They like the fact that I am mean to their perfect Edward?"

"The fans find it humorous."

I shook my head slightly. "I just don't understand."

"What don't you understand?"

"How I'm actually sort of...famous."

"It's the way it goes Bella. Welcome to my world."

"I still don't get it."

"There's nothing to get Bella."

"But why me? I'm just like every other average girl."

He didn't say anything.

I shrugged slightly. "I'm nothing special."

He shook his head softly in response as he leaned in closer to me.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes as I wrapped my arms around his neck, trying to pull myself closer to him. This time I wanted to take control and make sure this was going to happen.

"OH MY GOSH IT'S EDWARD CULLEN!"A high pitched female voice screamed, interrupting us before our noses even touched.

We both sighed, opened our eyes, and gasped in shock as we saw who was standing at the end of the aisle.

It was the Gothic girl from the mall, and she was grinning from ear to ear at the sight of Edward.

I released my arms from around his neck as Edward muttered a few swear words under his breath.

"There's your girlfriend Edward." I said in an effort to make the situation a little less awkward.

He laughed slightly. "Yep, there she is."

I laughed a little as well and leaned against the chip racks behind me so that I could try and recover from what just happened. Edward ran one hand through his hair, fluffing it up a bit, before he took a step towards the Gothic girl.

"Yes I am Edward Cullen." He said, turning on that dazzling smile.

"OH MY GOSH!" She screamed, as she ran up to him. "I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S YOU!"

"It's very much me."

"Do you remember me?" She asked, almost seductively...it made me want to puke.

"I would never be able to forget someone like you..."Edward said, pausing because he never had learned her name.

"Meggie." She said, not taking her eyes off of him.

"Meggie." He repeated. "Of course I remember you Meggie. Fans like you don't come around very often."

Wow, for once in his life he was actually telling someone the truth. I couldn't help but laugh a little while I was still trying to recover from our near kiss.

"Since I already have your autograph." Meggie said, walking towards Edward and messing with the collar on his jacket. "Could you say the line for me again? I just heard you say it on Love to Hate You before I came, but it is ten times sexier in person."

Poor Edward, all the acting skills in the world were trying to keep him from revealing how he would really rather run away and hide.

"Why of course, anything for someone as wonderful as you Meggie." He replied, turning up the wattage on his smile.

On second thought...why feel bad for Edward? He was the one digging himself deeper into this mess just because he liked attention. He's kind of a moron.

"SAY IT!" Meggie yelled, scaring me a bit since she had been talking softer for a _while_.

Edward cleared his throat. "Claire, I always have hated you. But I always have, and always will, be totally in love with you."

Due to my already being quite stunned from Edward and I's near kiss, hearing him say "The Line" in person wasn't helping me much.

"OH MY GOSH YOU ARE SO HOT!" Meggie squealed. "I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!"

"Thank you for the compliment, I'm glad that you appreciate me." He said, trying to keep himself from telling her how much of a freak she was.

"You know." She said, walking back towards Edward and resting one of her hands on his face. "I always did fantasize that you and I would get married someday and have tons of gorgeous little babies. I never thought that dream would come true. But now that you're here...I see that it may."

Now it was taking everything in me not to barf all over the place. I could see Edward appeared to be feeling the same.

"Wow that's a really..."

"Wonderfully romantic story?" Meggie finished for him.

"I was going to say that was a really creative fantasy of yours." He said, glancing at me.

She sighed. "You are so freaking hot."

"Thank you."

"You and I Edward, are meant to be." She said, messing up his hair a bit.

"But Meggie, you and I can never happen." He said, seeming slightly disgusted as she messed with his hair. He took a step back to avoid being petted anymore. "My heart is already taken."

"Oh crap on Rosalie for all I care....I'm the one that's best for you." She said, trying to get closer to him again.

"And maybe you are Meggie. But Rosalie is my girlfriend, and I care about her dearly."

She pouted. "Fine, I guess she is prettier than me. But she will never...ever...be able to love you as much as I do...Edward Anthony Cullen."

"I wouldn't doubt that for a second." He said with a smile on his face as he walked over to my side.

Suddenly Meggie's eyes drifted to me. "OH MY GOSH YOU'RE BELLA SWAN!"

I fought off the urge to scream "OH MY GOSH I AM!"...at the top of my lungs and decided to take a more civilized approach to the situation.

"That's my name." I said, looking up at Edward, who seemed confused as to why I was leaning against the chip rack for support.

Meggie dashed over to the two of us. "YOU ARE AMAZING!"

"Thanks." I said, not really sure what else to say.

She started fumbling through her bag, taking out paper, a pen, and a digital camera. "I NEED AUTOGRAPHS AND PICTURES!"

Edward laughed at my very surprised looking face.

"I guess I have time for an autograph and a few pictures." I said, taking the paper and pen from her and signing my new found autograph. Meggie insisted we take a thousand pictures, and then took a thousand more with Edward. She screamed and squealed a lot before she finally put her camera away and starred at the two of us.

"Well Edward my little love bug." She said, walking toward him. "I guess if you must be with another, I would completely approve of your relationship with Bella."

"Edward and I are not in a relationship." I said, surprised I was actually able to address the situation before Edward.

"Well I know you're not now." Meggie said, rolling her eyes sarcastically. "He's with Dumbo."

I started laughing like crazy, which caused Edward to glare at me a bit.

"But....this...."Meggie said, drawing circles in the air around us as she backed up. "...is gonna happen someday."

"Yeah, maybe when I'm dead." I whispered, just loud enough so Edward could hear.

"You think you're funny, don't you?" Edward asked me.

"Yep." I replied.

"Goodbye my dears!" Meggie called as she starred at us from the end of the chip aisle. "And Edward you hot, steamy, sexy piece of man meat you....keep being sexy!"

I covered my mouth in a very miserable attempt to prevent myself from bursting into insane laughter. It wasn't working so well.

"Trust me, I won't ever stop being sexy." Edward said, trying to figure out exactly what _could_ be said after that comment.

"I LOVE YOU EDWARD CULLEN!" She screamed one last time before she ran away.

I turned to Edward and at that moment allowed myself to laugh.

"Let's get the heck out of here." Edward said, directing me out of the aisle and onto the walkway.

"Aw, is Edward scared of his little stalker?"

"Just a bit, yeah." He said as we practically ran through the store and out into the parking lot.

"She's just a girl Edward, chill out."

"Yeah just a girl that really thinks I'm going to marry her."

"Edward, most of the female population thinks that they are going to marry you."

"Well I know." He said as he opened the car door for me. "But they don't tell me that."

"And play with your hair." I said, still trying to control my laughter.

"That freaked me out." He said, as he quickly pulled out of the parking space. "I don't like it when people mess with my hair."

I reached over and fluffed his hair up a bit with one of my hands.

"Bella, I swear...I'll make you freaking walk to my house if you do that again."

I laughed at him. "This is all pretty funny stuff."

He smiled just a bit. "Yes, once you get past the creepiness....it is kind of funny."

"And sort of romantic too, if you think about it."

"How in the world is any of this romantic?"

"Well poor little Meggie has been planning your marriage forever. She loves you...it's so sweet."

"Yeah, I think Meggie needs some friends." Edward said, turning onto the road that led to his house.

I laughed a little at his comment.

"What?" He asked, looking over at me.

"I know who would be very good friends with Meggie."

"Who?" He asked as he pulled into the driveway.

"Haley." I said.

He laughed a little as well. "I could see that."

I turned to look at the Cullen mansion as we pulled into the driveway. His house was huge...I couldn't even _begin_ to imagine what the one in LA looked like.

"So I'm meeting your chef....am I right?"

"Yes." Edward said once we got out of the car. "He's a really great guy."

"Ok then." I said as he opened the door that led into the living room. I had been in Edward's house many times throughout my life, but I still could never get over how elegant and very expensive looking everything was.

"He's actually not in here right now." Edward said, glancing in the direction of the kitchen. "He's probably out in the garden."

"You guys have a garden?"

"We do now." He said, leaning against the railing of the grand staircase in the middle of the room.

"So what are we going to do until he's here?" I asked.

"We could go up in my room and hang out or something until then."

I smiled. "Ok, let's go." I said as he ran ahead of me up the stairs. "You hot, steamy, sexy piece of man meat you."

He turned around to look at me. "Not funny Bella." He said, but he was smiling.

"I think it's quite funny."

"No, it's not." He said, allowing me to catch up with him.

"Yes it is."

"Ok, maybe it is...but that still doesn't change one thing."

"What doesn't it change?" I asked as we reached the top of the stairs.

"It doesn't change the fact that you can't have this hot, steamy, sexy piece of man meat...no matter how much you want it." He said, with a devilish grin as he leaned against the railing.

"Edward I want to tell you something." I said, actually sounding slightly seductive as I rested my hands on his chest. "If I did want this, I'd get it."

"You would?" He asked.

"Yeah, but unfortunately for you...I don't want it, so I'm going to go throw up instead." I said, suddenly bolting away from him and running toward his room.

"If you must throw up, don't do it in my bathroom please!" He called after me.

"What's that? Puke all over your bed? If that's what you want!" I called, smiling as I quickly slammed the bedroom door in his face.

* * *

After we spent a few hours hanging out in Edward's room, we decided to go down to the kitchen and see if his chef was there yet.

"Where's your mom at? Didn't you say she was here?" I asked him as he closed the door to his room.

"Oh yeah, she's here...but she went out shopping with one of her friends."

"I see." I said, making my way down the staircase.

"Now like I said, my chef is a cool guy...but just as a heads up...don't swear around him."

"Why?"

"He doesn't really like it too much." He said, smiling a bit. "You see, he's sort of more than just a chef to all of us. He's practically became family."

"Really? How so?"

"He really cares about all of us." Edward said. "He never goes to the store to buy anything he puts in his food, he grows all his own fruits, vegetables, and grains, and raises his own livestock for meat. He frowns upon us going out to eat, and he doesn't like it when us kids drink a lot of pop or coffee."

"Wow that's kind of nice of him in a way."

"Yeah it is nice of him. He's kind of became a second father figure to me, because my dad's at work a lot....so if I need to vent and don't necessarily want to tell mom, I tell my chef."

"And he listens to you?"

"He cares about all of us." He said. "And he always has very good advice for me. I can go to him for almost anything."

"Aw, that's really sweet." I said, stopping at the bottom of the staircase.

He laughed a bit. "Sure, if you want to put it like that."

"But I still don't understand...what does him caring about you guys so much have to do with the fact that you shouldn't swear around him?"

Edward smiled. "He thinks us kids should act proper and be well-behaved....so he doesn't like to hear us swear, be mean, or say perverted comments."

"How does Emmett survive then?" I asked.

"He manages."

"So what happens if you do swear or whatever around him?"

"If you swear around him...you get..._man slapped_."

"Man slapped? What the heck is that?"

"It has a really long story. Are you ready to hear it?"

"I guess so." I said, taking a seat on the bottom step. Edward followed suit.

"Right after my chef...his name is Gazpacho....got married to his wife...he was in the kitchen working on something. His wife wanted him to go out with her and shop, but Gazpacho like...never leaves his kitchen...so he wouldn't. His wife got angry at him, picked up a spatula and slapped him across the face with it."

"Oh my gosh." I said.

"It didn't hurt him." Edward said, reassuring me everything was ok. "But his wife said after he did that "you're not much of a man now that you have been slapped by a woman" and walked away."

"So he slaps you guys with a spatula when you curse and says he man slaps you?"

"Yep, that's exactly what he does. And it stinks for us, because he has freaking ears of a bat, and I kid you not...I could be up in my room with the door closed and whisper a swear word while he's _outside_...and he will hear me."

"Wow that's some pretty intense hearing."

"Yeah, hence why in LA I made sure I put my room on the very top floor. He can't hear through five levels."

"Ok, now you're just bragging about how big your house is." I said, getting up. "Come on."

Edward got up as well and led me into the kitchen. As soon as you walked in a variety of different aromas greeted us. Behind the stove, there was a man stirring one of the pots. He was older, probably in his late forties. He had a dark black mustache, and wore the traditional white chef's uniform...hat and everything. He was a chubbier man...probably because he had been sampling too many of his creations. When he saw Edward and I walk into the room, his face lit up in a smile.

"Ah Edoardo!" He called to him in a very distinct Italian accent. He made his way over to the two of us after he wiped his hands on a nearby dish towel. "And this must be the lovely Isabella I have heard so many things about." He said, taking my hand in his and kissing it.

I didn't know how to react, especially since he just called me Isabella....but it sounded cool to hear him say it in his accent. Hey...my name was Italian...wasn't it?

"Bella this is my chef Gazpacho." Edward said, gesturing towards him.

Gazpacho smiled. "His fantastic chef Gazpacho."

Edward smiled as well. "Gazpacho...this is my friend Bella."

"It's very nice to meet you Gazpacho." I said, smiling.

"It is very nice to finally meet you too Bella." He said, making his way back over to the stove. "You are even more beautiful than the TV screen makes you appear."

Edward coughed and walked around the kitchen in circles while I laughed at him.

"Thank you." I said in response to Gazpacho's comment.

"I already like you better than that Rosalie girl of his." Gazpacho said, flinging his spatula toward Edward. "When I met her for the first time, she was very rude to me."

"What did she say?" I asked, looking at Edward for the answer.

"She shook his hand and said "Hi, I'm better than you" and walked away." Edward said.

I starred at him in shock. "You're serious?"

"Sadly, yes."

"I do not like Rosalie." Gazpacho said, making sure Edward heard him. "She is not a nice girl...however I do like Isabella."

Edward shook his head in response to Gazpacho's comment. "Are you implying something Gazpacho?"

"Yes, I am implying you should dump that snot Rosalie and date this beautiful girl Bella." Gazpacho said, handing me a cookie. "Here, try Gazpacho's chocolate chip cookies...they are delicious."

"They are." Edward said to me, taking a cookie himself. He took a bite out of it before he spook again. "Yeah, but at least Rosalie's hot...right Gazpacho?"

"Ah yes, Rosalie is as spicy as the hot chili peppers in my taco soup...but still no good for you."

"Hmm, I think someone else has told you that before." I said, looking at Edward with a mischievous grin.

He ignored me and took another cookie.

"Bella are you staying for dinner tonight?" Gazpacho asked me.

"Oh no, I was just going to head home after Edward introduced me to you. I'm having my best friends over for pizza this evening."

"She is coming to dinner on Thursday though." Edward said, taking a seat on one of the bar stools next to an island.

"Who is all coming to dinner Thursday?" Gazpacho asked. "That way I know how much meat I need."

"Bella is coming." Edward said, looking at me. "Are Haley and Natasha coming?"

"Haley is...Natasha has a date with Denver."

"Bella's friend Haley is coming." Edward told Gazpacho. "I'll obviously be here, mom is going to be here...dad is coming."

"Ah I love your father!"Gazpacho exclaimed. "Very good man, your father."

"Alice is coming." Edward said.

"Oh and little Alice...I love her too. She can get annoying at times...but still love that little girl."

"And she's bringing Jasper."

"Jasper is always so appreciative of my cooking...I like Jasper." Gazpacho said, smiling as he moved the plate of cookies out of Edward's reach. "No more for you...you will spoil your appetite." He said as he slapped his hands with the spatula.

"I think that's it." Edward said trying to think.

"Ok, I may need a lot of meat." Gazpacho said.

"Oh...and Emmett...I forgot about him."

"Good grief!" Gazpacho exclaimed, flinging his hands in the air. "Now I _really_ don't have enough meat! That Emmett can eat a ham all by himself!"

I looked over at Edward and smiled, not knowing what else to do.

Edward smiled back. "Sorry Gazpacho...Emmett just had to come."

Gazpacho muttered a few things in Italian before he regained his cool. "Ok, I think I know what I can do."

"Good. I'm glad we got that all straightened out." Edward said as his phone started to ring. He took his phone out of his pocket, looked at the caller ID, and frowned.

"Who is it Edoardo?" Gazpacho asked.

Edward shook his head and sighed in frustration. "Sorry guys. If you'd please excuse me...I have to take this."

"Sure thing." I said as Edward made his way out of the kitchen in a hurry. You could tell he just went into the living room, because you could hear him talking.

"I wish that boy would get his things all sorted out and dump that girl." Gazpacho said, kind of surprising me because I forgot he was in the room.

"You think that was Rosalie?" I asked, taking a seat on the bar stool that Edward abandoned.

"Well of course it was Rosalie! That boy doesn't wrinkle his nose like that when anyone else calls him."

"Doesn't he love her though?" I asked.

Gazpacho threw me a bit off guard as he burst into a loud chuckle. "Ha, he may say he does...but who can ever tell if that boy is saying anything truthful."

"I guess you're right."

"I know I'm right. Gazpacho is never wrong."

I couldn't help but laugh a little. "So you don't think Rosalie is any good for him?"

"Nope...I told him from the beginning she was bad news...but no...that boy will not listen."

"Yeah I've tried to convince him that he needs to dump her. It doesn't work."

"He's stubborn. If he wants something...he'll get it, no matter what Gazpacho says."

"But how could he want Rosalie if he gets disgusted every time she calls?"

"I think he may be disgusted simply because she finally _did_ call."

"What do you mean?"

"The whole time he's been back in Phoenix...she hasn't called him once."

"Not once?"

"Not once. Sure they text, and they e-mail, and he leaves a thousand voice mails for her...but does she ever call? Nope."

"Wow, that's really sad." I said, actually finding myself feeling bad for Edward...which I seemed to be doing a lot of lately. "Why does he let her do that to him?"

"Because he's a moron...that's why." Gazpacho said, causing me to laugh as Edward walked back into the room.

He smiled at me and leaned against the counter near Gazpacho. "That was Rose." Edward told him.

"Ah really? Never would have guessed." Gazpacho said, winking as he smiled at me.

"What did she want?" I asked Edward, trying to be a little bit nice to him.

Edward glanced at Gazpacho and then to me, before he looked at Gazpacho again. "She basically just wanted to yap her mouth and tell me how much she loved me. Not much."

I had a feeling there was something that Rosalie had said that Edward wasn't going to tell Gazpacho now because he didn't want me to know.

"So she finally decided to call you and all she did was yap?"

"Yep, basically." Edward said, walking to my side. "Are you ready to go home Bella?"

"Sure." I said, getting up. "It was very nice to meet you Gazpacho. I'll see you on Thursday."

"Yes Isabella! It was a pleasure to meet you as well...Thursday it shall be." He said, smiling at me and then Edward before we walked out of the kitchen.

The ride home was mostly silent, and even once we pulled into my driveway, he was still very quiet...which was _obviously_ unusual for him.

"Are you ok?" I asked him after a while.

"What?" He asked, looking over at me. "Oh yeah...I'm just thinking about something, that's all."

"You sure?"

"Positive." He said, offering me a smile.

"You want to hang around for a little while and have a slice of pizza with us?" I asked, pointing to my house. "I'm sure Haley and Natasha won't mind your presence."

He laughed a bit. "I'm sure they won't...but I probably should head home. My mom will be back soon and I want to try and work on my writing assignment a bit more."

"How is that going?" I asked, opening the car door to allow the cool evening air in.

"Pretty good actually...this idea of mine just might work."

"So what are you writing about now? How frustrated you are that you can't write your paper on your inability to write a paper?"

"Ha, very funny Bella. Goodnight."

I laughed. "Goodnight Edward." I said, before I got out of the car and closed the door behind me.

Overall, it had been a pretty good day. Edward and I had a lot of fun hanging out at Wal-mart and his house. I was also kind of happy to know that I was sort of famous now due to being on Edward's reality show, yet freaked out at the same time because fame wasn't exactly something I was seeking. Sara had been really sweet and showed me that Edward doesn't have to act like a flirtatious moron around all of his fans. And of course, I was very glad that I got to meet Edward's chef Gazpacho. He was a very sweet guy, and I really liked the fact that he didn't like Rosalie either.

So it had been a pretty good day.

Well, except that something could have happened in the chip aisle that would have made it even better....but my luck sort of sucks, so of course...it didn't.

* * *

**How about that Meggie? Lol. The reason the Gothic girl got the name Meggie is because for the challenge where I asked you guys to translate what Edward said in French, I missed Meggie's name. So I mad it up to her by giving her name a special spot as the crazy Gothic girl we all love! We know Edward does. ;) Haha.**

**So what do you guys think of Chef Gazpacho? Is he a cool guy or what? I know he seems sort of unessential at this point in time, but I introduced him for a reason. He'll become a very important character throughout the rest of the story...but he will really shine in the sequel (don't freak...I have planned twenty-five total chapters for this story...you still have thirteen more!).**

**The next chapter starts dinner night at the Cullen's...whoop whoop! I'm really excited about it! Hmm...I wonder what kind of stories Esme and Alice can tell Bella about Edward. ;) Oh, and just as a little hint... in the next chapter there's gonna be a bit of Edward/Bella...steaminess...perhaps is a good word for it. :)  
**

**Like I said before, after the next chapter...things will indeed start to get extremely interesting. **

**If I don't update for maybe a week and a half or so, it would be because of my busy schedule involving school and all the extra-circular activities I'm in. I promise you that I'm not ignoring you guys!  
**

**~Hazl~  
**


	13. Chapter 13

**Well everyone...here is the long awaited for dinner at the Cullen's chapter. I'm just gonna warn you that it's a long one...but I still hope that you all enjoy it. :)**

* * *

**Chapter 13**

It was Thursday, the night that I was supposed to be joining the Cullen family for dinner. Haley and I had just got out of her car, and we were doing some last minute primping.

"Do my feathers look ok?" Haley asked me.

I checked my reflection in the car window to make sure I didn't have anything stuck between my teeth. "Haley your feathers look gorgeous."

"Yeah they do..don't they?" She said, swaying back and forth with a huge grin on her face. "I'm so excited!"

I had to laugh at her. "Me too Haley. Come on...let's go see Jasper."

"And Dr. Cullen, don't forget him!"

"Dang that man is fine." I said, and we both laughed.

"Of course, we all know who you will be checking out Miss Bella."

"Yep, we all do...don't we Haley?"

Haley smiled at me as we stopped by the front door. "Bella, he is your man...you better try and win him over tonight!"

I looked down at the ground and brushed off the side of my dress. I did what Edward told me to and wore the same dress that I wore to homecoming. I even did my hair and makeup the exact same way. I was just glad I didn't have to wear that stupid freaking tiara.

"Haley there is no winning him over to do."

"Yes there is!" She said, gently smacking me. "Don't you say crap like that!"

"He's not ever going to want me Haley." I said, shrugging my shoulders. "He hates me, and I hate him...and that's how it's always gonna be."

"I don't think so." She chimed.

I sighed. "Besides...we come from two totally different worlds. He likes movie star, picture perfect, model-like girls. I'm not that."

"Well maybe he's just pretending to like those kind of girls...ever think of that?"

"Yeah I have. You always have to wonder whether Edward's telling the truth or not. But gosh Haley he must be into girls like that, because he continues to stay with Rosalie even after she treats him like crap."

"You know what I think?"

I laughed a bit. "What do you think Haley?"

"I think it's all just an act. All that dating Rosalie crap. I think he really loves you." She said, poking me in the chest.

"Ow." I said, but just as I got ready to argue with her, the door opened...and there stood Edward.

"Well good evening ladies." He said, smiling as he motioned us inside.

He was wearing a navy blue dress shirt and a pair of black dress slacks, which made him look even more attractive than usual. However, I knew that Edward could wear anything and make it look hot.

"How are you Haley?" He asked her specifically, glancing at me real quick as if he was searching for an explanation to the dress she was wearing.

I just shook my head and laughed. Haley was very proud of the dress she had made for this occasion. It was a short, strapless purple dress, and it had gauze like material all over it. The part right around her chest was covered in feathers and random ribbons were hanging down from the same area. It was certainly one of her more unique creations.

"I am happier than a bird with thousands of feathers."

"Wow, then you must be ecstatic."

"I is, I is." She said as her eyes grew wide at the site of Edward's large living room. "I feel like running. I shall do that now." She said, and before we knew it, she took off and started running in circles in the middle of the living room floor.

"Ok then." Edward said, watching her for a few more seconds before he turned to me. "Hey Bella."

"Hey Edward." I said, offering him a sweet smile. Then for the second time that week, he did something that shocked me. He hugged me.

"How have you been?" He asked, before releasing from our embrace.

I wasn't able to answer him at first, I was so shocked. "Um, fantastic."

"Are you being sarcastic...or are you serious?"

"I couldn't be more serious if I tried." I said, starring right at him...still in total shock.

He laughed slightly. "I'll go see if I can find everyone and tell them that you are here."

"Sounds great." I said as he disappeared up the stairs. He wasn't up there too long before he came back.

"Bella." He said to me as he was making his way down the stairs. "I'm going to warn you right now that Alice is..."

"On her way!" A high pitched voice screamed, and I suddenly found myself being hugged again, only not by Edward this time...but by his younger sister Alice.

"Alice!" I cried excitedly as I hugged her back. "I missed you!"

"Oh Bella I missed you too!" She squealed, letting go of me.

Now that she had let me go, I finally got to look at her for the first time since they left. She still looked the same...short and skinny with her spiky pixie hair. She had on a little yellow cocktail dress that looked really cute on her.

"Alice you look amazing."

"Thank you." She said, smiling at Edward and then at me. "But I haven't really changed that much."

"No you haven't."

"However Bella you are even more beautiful than you were before!"

"Really? I don't think I've changed at all, and I certainly don't think I'm beautiful."

"Well I certainly think that you're stupid." She said, looking over at Edward. "And I certainly think you are stupid as well."

"_Me_? Why in the world am I stupid?"

"Because you don't think she's beautiful either." Alice said, gesturing towards me. "She's so much prettier than Ros.."

"I'm gonna go see if I can find everyone else." Edward said, running back up the stairs.

Alice rolled her eyes at him before turning to me. "That's his way of saying he's avoiding this conversation."

"I gathered that." I said, glancing up the staircase.

"So are you excited?" She asked me.

"What is there to be excited about?"

"You get to spend time with me!" She squealed as she hugged me again.

"Oh yeah, right." I said, laughing a bit. I loved Alice...I really did, but sometimes she was just a little over dramatic.

She squealed again and bounced away from our embrace, pointing toward the staircase. "Look Bella."

I looked in the direction that she pointed and saw Edward walking down the stairs followed by a very handsome looking blond guy...who couldn't be anyone else but Jasper.

"That's my man." Alice said, smiling from ear to ear. She skipped over to meet Jasper before she took his hand and led him over to me. Edward came and stood at my side and shook his head at Alice.

"Bella, this is my amazingly wonderful boyfriend Jasper." She said, resting one of her hands on his chest as she snuggled up to him. "Jasper, this is one of my best friends in the whole world...Bella."

Jasper stepped forward and shook my hand. "It's such a pleasure to meet you at last Bella. I've heard so many wonderful things about you."

"Thanks...it's um...really nice to meet you too Jasper." I said, and I felt myself blushing.

Edward laughed. "I told you so Jazz."

Jasper laughed as well, which confused Alice. "Is there some kind of joke going on between the two of you that I didn't know about?" She asked, looking at Edward and then Jasper.

Edward shook his head. "Nah, I just told Jasper that Bella would so react the way she just did."

"He told me she has a bit of a crush on me." Jasper said, smiling at me.

Now I was really blushing. I smacked Edward's arm as a method of protest. "Edward!"

"What? I was just telling him the truth."

"Oh you finally decide to tell the truth, but it's at my expense."

"Well yeah...is there something wrong with that?" He asked.

"I think there is, but whatever."

"Hey guys!" Someone called from the top of the staircase. We all turned around to see Emmett, who was standing at the top of the staircase with a huge grin on his face. "Bella babe! How are you?"

I couldn't help but laugh at Emmett's stupidity. "I'm good Emmett...how about you?"

"I'm great." He said, pointing to each one of us. "Look guys, I'd love to come down here and join this little party...but I'm kind of busy right now. Call me when supper is ready? Ok?"

"Gotcha Emmett." Edward called after him as Emmett disappeared out of sight.

"What was that all about?" I asked.

"Just Emmett being Emmett...there isn't much more to it than that."

"I see." I said, nodding my head.

"_Hold me and love me. Just want touch you for a minute!_" A male voice sang from upstairs, causing all of us to immediately start laughing.

"Is it just me, or did anyone else hear Emmett singing Love Game?" Jasper asked in between his laughter.

"Dude I assure you that you were not the only one that just heard that." Edward said, still laughing as well.

"Who is Emmett singing to?" I asked, trying to recover from my own laughing fit.

"The wall." Edward said, taking a deep breath in an effort to stop himself from laughing anymore. It didn't work.

"Why in the world is Emmett singing Lady Gaga songs to the freaking wall?" I asked, now the only one not laughing anymore.

"Is there any reason that everyone out here has exploded into a fit of hysteric laughter?" Someone said, and I turned around to notice that Dr. Carlisle Cullen and Esme had now entered the room.

I smiled instantly at the sight of Edward's father. I'm not kidding when I say that he's attractive...because he is. He's a loving, intelligent, blond doctor...what is unattractive about that? My mom used to take me to the hospital if I even had so much as a paper cut...just so she had an excuse to see Dr. Cullen.

"Emmett was singing Lady Gaga songs to the wall." I answered for them, since the other three were still laughing.

Carlisle shook his head and smiled. "I told him not to have anything to drink before dinner."

"Carlisle you are aware that Emmett would probably behave like that rather he was intoxicated or not...correct?" Esme asked, looking at him and then smiling at me.

"Yes Esme, I guess you are correct." He said, smiling at me as well. "How have you been Bella?"

"Great...how are you two?"

"We are very well, thank you." He replied for both of them.

Edward and his father had a lot in common. Both Edward and his dad had some sort of natural charm that just seemed to lure in any female within a hundred mile radius of them. They were both intelligent, and they spoke similarly in the fact that they used big words and extremely proper grammar. Edward was probably a little bit more relaxed with his way of speaking than his father was, but when it came to writing...his wording was all very complicated and proper.

And of course, like I said before...Edward's father was so handsome it was insane. I guess Edward had to get his good looks from somewhere.

I stood and talked to Esme and Carlisle for a few more minutes while Edward, Jasper, and Alice were still trying to recover from their laughing fit. They did eventually got themselves together after a little bit.

Alice came over to me and tugged on my arm. "Come on Bella! Mom and I can sit down and tell you embarrassing stories about Edward now!"

Esme merely laughed at Alice, and I laughed as well...but not because of Alice. I was laughing at Edward's facial expression.

"Mom, please don't let her do this." Edward pleaded, looking to his mom for help.

"Sorry honey." She said, gently patting his shoulder. "It's out of my control."

"_Mom!_" Edward protested, and I laughed at him.

"Yep, you're not a mama's boy _at all._" I said as Alice drug me over to the couch.

"You know what Bella?" He asked.

"What Edward?" I called back to him.

"You're gonna shut up like right now."

I didn't respond, I just laughed at him again.

Edward sighed in disgust and motioned to Jasper before the two of them ran upstairs. Carlisle had left the room as well, so it was only Esme, Alice, and I now. Well, I guess Haley was there too...but she was too busy running in circles.

"Well this is nice isn't it?" Alice asked, sitting beside me and straightening out the skirt of her dress. Esme curled up in the chair across from us.

"What's nice about it?" I asked.

"There's no boys here...we can have some serious girl talk now."

"Girl talk?" I said. "I thought I was going to hear embarrassing stories about Edward."

"Oh we'll get to that...trust me." Alice said, actually seeming a bit evil as she grinned. "But speaking of Edward...why don't you like him?"

"Huh?" I asked, really confused as to what she was getting at.

"You two are just so cute together. But you won't get together because you both hate each other."

"I guess that would be a good reason not to enter a relationship...wouldn't it?"

"No!" She said a little loudly, before she laughed in slight embarrassment. "Sorry. What I meant to say is that you two need to be together."

"We do?"

"Well yeah! Bella what is it about my brother that you find so repulsive? I mean I know he's kind of treated you badly in the past and he acts like a jerk sometimes...but is there anything you find attractive about him?"

This was a very awkward conversation. I found everything about Edward attractive...but I couldn't just tell Alice that. I knew I couldn't lie to her either, it would be too hard..but I figured I could try and cover up my tracks without telling a flat out lie.

"It's kind of hard to find someone attractive after they've done such terrible things to you." I said, glad I had thought of something that wasn't a total lie.

"I know...but don't you even think he's the littlest bit hot? I mean you guys can't get married if you don't think he's hot."

"We're getting married now?"

"Well yeah! I like you so much better than Rosalie."

"You guys don't like Rosalie very much, do you?" I asked, looking over at Esme.

She shook her head. "Bella we all want Edward to be happy."

"But we don't want him to be with Rosalie!" Alice added.

"We just don't think that Rosalie is the type of girl that Edward needs in his life." Esme said.

"Yeah...he needs you!" Alice squealed, hugging me once again.

"Wow Alice, I feel honored that you guys would rather Edward date me than Rosalie."

"We like you, we don't like Rosalie."

I laughed a bit. "Thanks Alice."

"You're welcome." She chimed. "So?"

"So what?"

"What do you find attractive about my brother?"

"Alice I thought we got off of this topic of conversation."

"Ah, yes we did...but now we are back to it!"

I sighed. "Alice I already told you there's not really anything to find attractive about him."

"Come on Bella! There has to be something."

"There might be a little something, but nothing much."

"Good! Go with that!" She said, getting right up in my face and starring at me. I looked over at Esme again.

"Esme...any help here?"

She laughed. "Sorry Bella, I wouldn't be able to stop her even if I tried with everything I have."

"_Well?_" Alice asked.

"What do you want me to say Alice?"

"Just tell me one thing you find attractive about Edward. It can be a personality trait or a physical trait...doesn't matter. Tell me what you think about his eyes, his hair, his intelligence...whatever...just tell me about something. One thing...that's all."

"Ok fine." I said, giving into her. "Give me a second to think about it."

"You have to think about it? What is there to think about?"

"Alice...just give me a second ok?"I wanted to tell her about something I found attractive about Edward without totally revealing how attractive I truly found him. It was hard to pick just one thing about him that was attractive, because there were so many things.

"Second is up."

Esme and I both laughed. "Ok Alice, I've thought of something, are you ready to hear what it is?"

"Of course I am!" She said, moving closer to me.

I looked over at her. "His smile."

"His smile? Why did you pick that?"

"Well...all of you guys have very nice smiles." I said, motioning to the two of them. "You all have perfectly aligned, bright, white teeth. And all of you smile a lot because you are all pretty happy people."

"Yeah we are."

"Which is one of the reasons why I think Edward is going to really have some trouble with our writing assignment."

"He told me about that." Esme said, shifting in her chair a bit.

"To tell you the truth, I'm even finding it a little complicated. Writing in that dark of a mood is very hard."

"If it's hard for you it has got to be hard for him." Esme said. "He has trouble writing anyway, so writing in a depressing mood must be beyond challenging for him."

"I think it is. I just don't see any darkness to Edward. I know he's beyond happy with the way his life is."

"He is." Esme said.

"Ok, guys...this is a nice talk and all, but we are a little off topic." Alice chimed in. "Bella was talking about why she likes Edward's smile."

Esme and and I laughed at her. "Oh yeah, I guess I was...wasn't I Alice?"

"Yep...so please continue. What is it about his smile that you like?"

"Well like I was saying, you all smile a lot...and Edward is basically smiling all the time. I mean he can just be walking down the hallway and he has some kind of smirk plastered all over his face."

"He does smile a lot." Alice said, agreeing with me.

"His smile is also very persuasive."

"What do you mean?"

"Like he knows how to make people do things with his smile, and he has different smiles for different situations."

"Oh my gosh you noticed that too?" Alice asked me, smiling with delight. "He does!"

"Yeah like he has the smile that he gets when he's just hanging out. It's just a casual sort of smile that doesn't really convince anyone to do anything. Then he has his sweet smile that he gets when he's being...sweet I guess."

"Like when he's around mom." Alice said, pointing to Esme. "It's a very innocent smile. The little suck up."

Esme laughed. "He does have a very sweet little smile."

I couldn't help but laugh at Esme's comment. Edward was such a mama's boy it was insane. "He has this smile that he gets when he's teasing someone, specifically me."

"Yeah, what is that one like?" Alice asked.

"It's very mischievous, like he's up to no good. I get to see that smile a lot."

"I'm sure you do."

"I guess there's one more type of smile that he has. That would have to be his flirtatious smile...the one he gets when he's flirting."

"I call that his naughty smile!" Alice said, looking proud of herself. "He uses that smile a lot."

"Yeah he uses it to get girls to do whatever he wants them to. I've even fallen for it a few times to tell you the truth." I said, not really telling the truth because I had fallen for Edward's smile more than a _few_ times.

"So that's what you mean by his smile is very persuasive?"

"That's what I mean." I said. "His smile is pretty contagious too. If he's smiling, you can't help but smile as well."

Alice seemed pleased with my explanation. "Very nice."

I smiled at her and then looked over at Esme. "So how about those embarrassing Edward stories?"

"You basically know them all." Alice said.

"All of you were gone for two years. He didn't do anything embarrassing in that time period?"

"Well Edward isn't really clumsy...so it's not like he tripped over anything in public or something like that."

"I can't say the same for me." I said, and they both laughed.

"Edward hasn't done anything embarrassing that I can think of." Esme said, trying to help out.

"Nothing at all?"

Esme shook her head. "Sorry, nothing is coming to mind."

"That's ok." I said, watching Haley run in circles in the distance. "Could you tell me something else?"

"Sure Bella...anything you want to know."

"Tell me about his acting career." I said, which received an odd facial expression from Alice. "He was telling me a little bit about it on Monday."

"What did he tell you?" Alice asked.

"He told me about how he developed his passion for acting and what it was like to audition for Love to Hate You and prove to everyone that he really could do what he always said he'd be able to do."

"So what else do you want to know?" Esme asked.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know. He just seems so passionate about it, and I guess I don't exactly understand why he is, because I don't know what he went through while he was over there."

"You want to better understand what his career as an actor is like in general?"

"Yeah I guess. I just want to know like how he prepares for a role, what he looks for in a movie script...if anything at all, and how passionate he really is about acting."

Alice laughed. "Oh he's very passionate about it. There's no doubting that."

"Why did you laugh though?" I asked, not seeing why Alice found Edward's passion for acting funny.

"He's so passionate about it that he acts in everyday life...sometimes without even knowing it."

"What do you mean?"

"For example, Emmett, Edward, and I can go to a restaurant together. Edward will look right at the waiter and order something when Emmett and I both know that there's something else on the menu Edward would rather have. Then when we'd be hanging out later, Edward would say that he really wished he wouldn't have ordered what he did. When Emmett and I ask him why he ordered that to begin with, he'll say he doesn't know why...he just did."

"So what you're trying to say is that he said he wanted something to eat that he really didn't want to have...and didn't even know it?"

"Exactly. Sometimes he is aware of it. Like when girls will be flirting with him in public he will come up with the dumbest excuses as to why he can't go out with them. He won't just flat out say that he has a girlfriend. He'll tell them that he has to get home and help his brother count his coin collection, or that his pet raccoon has a terrible migraine and he has to take it to the vet later."

"Wow." I said, actually kind of surprised. I knew that Edward liked to act and wasn't exactly fond of telling the truth, but I had no idea it was _that_ bad.

"Yep, some people are addicted to alcohol, other people drugs, while Edward is addicted to acting."

"I'd say he is."

"Does that answer your question about how much he really loves acting?" She asked.

"I think it does, yeah."

"What else did you want to know Bella?" Esme asked.

"Do you know what he looks for in a movie script? Like is there any reason he picks to star in the movies he does?"

Esme looked over at Alice. "None of us totally understand why Edward selects the roles he does. He's a very secretive person in that way. In fact, Edward's a very secretive person in general."

"I could see that." I said.

"He doesn't always like to let people know what he's really thinking, and he does a very good job at hiding what's going on inside his head. There's just some things that Edward doesn't want anyone else to know."

"You never know if he's upset about something either." Alice added.

"Like he doesn't cry in front of you guys?"

"Goodness, I haven't seen Edward cry since he was a little boy." Esme said.

"Really? Are you sure that he just doesn't have anything to cry about?"

"Maybe he doesn't....but if he does I don't think he'd let anyone know about it."

"He likes to keep certain things to himself." Alice said. "I don't think anyone in this world knows everything there is to know about him."

As if on cue, you could hear Edward laughing from somewhere upstairs. "That's kind of sad in a way." I said.

"Which is why none of us completely get what he looks for in a script. He goes through this really long process to pick one out though."

"What kind of a process?"

"Well now that he's such a big time movie star, he gets scripts sent to him. He doesn't have to look for a movie to audition for anymore."

"I figured he didn't."

"He'll get hundreds of scripts sent to him in just one day. All of these people write the scripts to these movies with the intent of having him star in them."

"He must love that."

"He does...but in a way he sort of hates that he gets so many scripts sent to him, because the process he goes through to select them is so long anyway."

"What does he do?"

"First he'll try and eliminate a lot of them by seeing what type of movie it is, who else is going to star in it, who's directing it...etc. He tries to get the numbers down by doing that. Then he reads the entire script of each movie that he chose to keep before he decides whether or not he wants to be a part of it. A lot of the time he just ends up pushing them aside."

"What is he looking for in them?"

Alice shrugged. "He's never told me that's he's looking for anything specific...but he must be if he spends so long looking all of those scripts over."

"Do you know Esme?" I asked her. "Like what made him want the role of Matt in Love to Hate You?"

Esme shrugged as well. "I just know that he really wanted that role."

"If you'd want to know about all that, you'd have to ask him." Alice said. "I wish you luck though, because I doubt he'll tell you the truth."

"Yeah I guess you're right." I said, sighing a little. "Edward seems very complex."

"Ha you got that right." Alice said, smiling at the sound of Emmett singing once again. "Can't say the same for Emmett though."

I laughed. "So how does Edward prepare for a role once he gets it?"

"Oh gosh, that's an even longer process." Alice said, rolling her eyes.

"Really?"

Alice shook her head. "That boy takes things a bit to the extreme once he snags a part."

"What does he do?" I asked, looking at both of them for an answer.

"Alice knows better than I do." Esme said, smiling sweetly.

"You're dang right I know better than you do! I'm the one he wakes up at two in the morning so he can read lines off to me!"

I laughed. "Tell me what he does Alice."

Alice groaned in disgust. "Bella, first off I would like to inform you that my brother is a moron."

"I figured that out on my own Alice." I said. "Tell me about his preparation process."

"He gets really into his roles. He likes to dedicate himself to the character that he's portraying...so he likes to understand the way they think, and how they would say their lines."

"So does he rehearse his lines a lot?"

"Edward has this uncanny ability to be able to memorize his lines after reading them only once. Therefore, it's not like he has to keep reading them over in order to remember them, but he still does."

"Why?"

"He wants to make each individual line have the impact it's supposed to have. He will read over a whole scene, for instance...like ten times. Then he'll read it out loud ten more times. After that he starts playing with each individual line within the scene."

"How does he do that?"

"He'll try using different tones of voice, he'll speak slower, he'll speak faster, he'll try and add a bit of a British accent to certain words...he just plays with the lines until he's satisfied."

"Adds a bit of a British accent to certain words?"

"I told you he's a moron." She said. "Finally, he'll get Emmett or I to read off the other character's lines to him so that he can practice reacting to another person. And he doesn't care how early in the morning it is when he comes to wake us up either."

I laughed. "Well it's good that he's very dedicated to his work."

"I don't even know why he bothers practicing his lines so long. He never needs a second take."

"He never needs a second take?" I asked. Was Edward seriously good enough that he could nail every scene in only one take?

"Nope. He'll just go in and rock at whatever scene it is that he's filming that day. He's saves a lot of time that way, I guess."

"Wow, that's unbelievable." I said.

"Alice you forgot to mention how Edward was with the line." Esme added in.

"Oh yeah!" Alice said, suddenly remembering what her mother was talking about. "Gosh that was insane."

"What about the line?" I asked, very curious.

"Ok listen to this." Alice said, moving even closer to me as if what she was about to say was a huge secret. "Edward will usually spend two to three days at a time practicing a whole scene. Now that's weird enough....but get this. He spent a _week and a half _practicing the line and nothing but the line."

"He practiced the line for a whole week and a half?"

Alice nodded. "He just knew that it was going to be the most important line in that movie. So he wanted it to sound fantastic and really make the impact it was supposed to make. He would walk around the house repeating that line over, and over, and over. It got to the point that we were all saying it in our sleep he said it so much."

"So he just knew that was going to be the most important line in the whole movie?"

"He just knew. So he totally dedicated himself towards making it perfect, and what do you know...now he can't step out in public without someone asking him to say it."

"That is insane." I said.

I was actually kind of impressed with how dedicated Edward really was to acting. I thought he just did it because he found it fun to pretend to be someone he wasn't. But now I learned that he had some kind of reason for picking the roles he did, and that he wanted to make the movie he was starring in the best that he could by trying to get into his lines.

"So do you think Edward is hot now?" Alice asked me.

I couldn't help but laugh at her. "Alice you're not ever going to give up on that, are you?"

"Nope!" She chimed, smiling at me.

I rolled my eyes in fake disgust, and noticed that Edward was walking down the stairs and heading in our direction.

"Speaking of the devil." I joked, turning back around.

"What was that Bella?" I heard someone whisper in my ear, and I looked up to see that Edward was leaning over the couch, wrapping his arms tightly around me.

"Nothing." I said in some sort of flirtatious voice that I didn't know I had. Alice giggled beside me.

Edward let go of me and sat between Alice and I on the couch. "So what kind of embarrassing stories did my mother and sister share with you?"

"We didn't tell her anything embarrassing, because there wasn't anything to tell that she hasn't heard before." Esme said, smiling at her son.

"So what did you talk about?" He asked.

"We talked about how much you love to act, and how you dedicate yourself to your roles."

"Oh so you were talking about me?" He asked, seeming satisfied.

"Yep, and we also talked about how you and Bella need to suck it up and date already!" Alice said, grinning at her brother.

"Really? And what did you have to say about that?" He asked, looking at me.

"No comment." I said, offering him an innocent smile.

"We'll leave you two alone." Alice said, as Esme rose from her chair. "Come on mommy!"

Esme smiled at the two of us as Alice skipped ahead of her. "Be nice you two."

"Sure thing mom." Edward called after her as the two of them left the room.

I laughed at him. "Alice is right, you are a moron."

"Wow you have _never_ called me that before." He said sarcastically as he moved closer to me and wrapped his arms tightly around my waist again.

"Your sarcasm is amazing."

"Everything about me is amazing." He said.

"If your ego was a balloon, it would freaking explode...it's so big."

"It's not bad to have a huge ego when you actually have a reason to have one."

I shook my head. "You don't make one bit of sense."

"I think I do, you just don't understand me."

"I don't think anyone will ever be able to understand you."

He laughed a bit. "I think you're right." He said. "So what was Alice talking about?"

"Not much. She was just asking me why I hated you so much, and kept pressing me to tell her if I found anything about you attractive."

"Yeah and did she say....tell me just one thing....just one thing that you find attractive about him?"

"Actually yes." I said, trying to look at him, but it was sort of hard since I was all tangled up in his arms. "How did you know?"

"Because she has asked me the exact same question about you."

"She has?" I asked. "Why?"

"Bella in case you haven't caught on, Alice would enjoy it very much if the two of us were together."

"I caught on to that."

"Therefore explaining why Alice has asked me the exact same things she just asked you."

I tried to shift around so that I could look into his eyes. "Did you answer her?"

"What do you mean did I answer her?" He asked.

I turned away from him again. "Did you tell her one thing about me that you found attractive?"

He was silent for a minute. "Yes I did. Did you?"

"Yes."

"What did you tell her?"

"Oh no, you tell me first."

"Why do I have to tell you first?" He whispered in my ear as a slight smile played across his lips. It was that darn flirtatious smile of his.

"Because I said so."

"I was always taught that ladies go first."

"Well this lady is telling you to go ahead and go first."

"What if I don't want to be first?" He asked, as he gently kissed the side of my neck right below my ear...which _really_ surprised me.

"Too bad for you." I said, finding it extremely hard to speak as he continued to kiss down the side of my neck. I sighed in happiness as he kept on doing it, but I had no idea why he was. I figured he was probably just trying to mess with me so that I would tell him what he wanted to know.

"Tell me." Edward said after a while.

At that moment, I wasn't sure if I even remembered what my name was...let alone what I had told Alice.

Edward laughed at my silence. "Well I can already tell that you're at least a little bit attracted to me."

"Why do you say that?" I asked, wishing he would stop whispering in my ear like that.

"I think you enjoyed what I just did to you there."

"I think _you_ enjoyed what you just did to me there." I said, trying to take the focus off of me.

He laughed. "Not working Bella."

"Dang it...you suck."

"Thanks. You suck as well."

I groaned in disgust. "Edward what the heck do you want to know?"

"I want to know what you said was attractive about me."

"You really want to know that bad?"

"Yes I really do."

"Why...might I ask?"

"Well because you hate me Bella. I'd like to know that you at least find one thing about me slightly desirable."

"If I tell you what I told Alice...will you tell me what you told her?"

"I swear I will."

"And will you tell me the total truth?"

"I will tell you the truth...no acting involved."

"Yeah, I really believe that." I said, but decided to tell him anyway. "I told her that I liked your smile."

"My smile?" He asked. "Why that?"

"It's a very persuasive smile...you can make people do whatever you want with it. It's very contagious also. You smile and everyone else in the room feels like they need to smile."

"Is that so?" He asked, smiling at me as if he was trying to prove my point. It didn't help any when I smiled in response and giggled flirtatiously, which really made me ask what was wrong with myself. I had never been this flirtatious with Edward before....so why was I starting now?

"You obviously just discovered the answer to your own question." I said, trying to look away from him.

"I think I did." He said, the smile on his face still present.

"Now what did you say about me?"

"What did I say about you?"

"Yes, I think that's what I said."

"Ah Bella, Bella, Bella. Do you really want to know?"

"No you dumb butt...I just spent the past ten minutes trying to get you to tell me something I don't give a crap about."

He laughed. "I told her that I liked how delicate you are."

"Delicate?" I asked, really confused. "Like I'm breakable or something?"

"Allow me to explain." He said, sort of resting his head on mine. "Girls that are tall or athletic generally have a different sort of presence than girls that are shorter and not so athletically coordinated."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Guys generally like a tall girl who has a really nice athletic body. So all these girls do everything they can to make themselves trimmer, and they wish that they were taller. The girls that are tall and have these model-like bodies almost seem to know that they are preferred by guys, and they have this sort of air around them that makes them unattractive."

"Like they think they're tough crap?"

"Exactly. Then you have the little petite girls, like Alice for example. They are in the minority...so to say, because guys tend to overlook them. Therefore they don't have very much confidence in who there are as a person. So they have this sort of innocent persona about them, and it makes them seem very sweet and delicate."

"And that's what I'm like?"

"That's what you're like." He said. "Think of it this way. There a two types of dolls. One type of doll is made of plastic. The plastic dolls are fairly plentiful, you see them everywhere. They look fairly nice to the eye, but they aren't as great as they could be. Basically anybody can have one, because they are easy to take care of and they are hard to break or damage."

"So the plastic baby dolls are like the taller girls?"

"Yes, exactly. Then there is the other kind of doll, the porcelain ones. They aren't as common...and each one has a uniqueness to them. They are beyond beautiful...but very, very fragile. It takes a very special person to know how to properly take care of a porcelain doll, because they can be broken so easily."

"I'm the porcelain doll." I stated, seeing his point now.

"That would be you."

"Nice comparisons." I said, smiling a little.

He laughed slightly. "Thanks."

"So what you're basically trying to say is that you like that I seem so fragile?"

"For the most part, yes. You just look like you need someone to protect you."

"Like I need rescued?"

"If you want to think of it like that. I guess you could say it's sort of like you're the beautiful damsel in distress...just waiting for her prince to come rescue her."

"So it's attractive that I look like I need rescuing?"

"Well." He whispered in my ear again. "I love a damsel in distress."

I sighed in response to his comment as I turned around to look at him. The two of us were super close, and before I knew it I found myself leaning in to kiss him.

The whole moment felt right. Edward and I had just had a very serious conversation, and we had been flirting with one another the whole night. It just seemed natural to kiss him then. My heart was beating at a thousand miles an hour as I felt his lips brush against mine. I had basically waited my whole life for that very moment. And now it was about to happen to me at last.

"I suggest everyone direct their attention toward the staircase." A very authoritative female voice commanded from somewhere.

Before I was even able to totally get what had just happened, I saw that Edward was gone and now standing beside the rest of his family, gathered around the bottom of the stairs.

_"That close!_" I yelled at myself in my head as I took a deep breath and made myself get up off of the couch. I slowly walked over to stand beside Edward, and I prayed that I wouldn't faint due to shock.

Edward glanced at me from the corner of his eye, but then turned to face the top of the stairs like the voice had told us all to do.

I had no idea who had spoke, because everyone was in the room. I counted all of them in my head at least five times....Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, Alice, Jasper, Edward, Haley, and I. So who just spoke only moments before?

I didn't really care, I just knew I now officially hated whoever it was for interrupting my near kiss with Edward.

But I didn't have time to think much longer, because I swore I felt my heart stop, as one pink high heel appeared on the very first step.

* * *

**Cliffhanger...yes I know it sucks. Sorry...lol. **

**So what did you guys think about that? Ha, you thought that was interesting...wait until you see what is coming next.**

**I'm kind of looking forward to all of you guy's reactions to this chapter. :)**

**And just to clarify things...I do not own the song "Love Game" or Lady Gaga. I'm merely a fan. :D  
**

**If you would like to know what Haley and Alice's dresses look like, I have links on my profile. I assume you don't need a repeat link for Bella's dress...since it is the same one she wore to homecoming...but if you'd like to see it...that link is up there on my profile somewhere as well.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**~Hazl~  
**


	14. Chapter 14

**Lol you guys, I loved hearing what you had to say about the last chapter. I'm very glad that you guys enjoyed it and that you liked learning more about Edward. I'm kind of looking forward to what you guys are going to say about this chapter too. It's a shorter chapter...but it's still an important one.  
**

**Hey...didn't I say things were going to start to get interesting? ;)  
**

* * *

**Chapter 14**

I couldn't believe my eyes. I swear that I blinked over a thousand times, trying to make sure I was really seeing her.

The person who spoke was now revealed to us as Rosalie. She slowly walked down the staircase with both hands on her hips as she looked at everyone one of us with a blank expression on her face. She smiled slightly when her gaze drifted to Edward, but once she looked at Haley and I, that smile faded again. She looked gorgeous to tell you the truth. Her blond hair was done in long, flowing waves, and she wore a hot pink sparkled-covered gown with a huge slit up the side. I think Rosalie was fully aware of how good she looked, according to the way she was acting.

I still could not believe that she was there. Edward had never told me she was going to be there...did he simply forget? I don't know why he'd forget to mention that his girlfriend, whom I just so happen to despise, was going to be joining us for dinner.

"Good evening everyone." Rosalie said once she reached the bottom of the staircase. "How are you all tonight?"

"We're great babe!" Emmett called out to her, breaking the ice a bit and causing a few of us to laugh. I was still in too much of a daze to do anything.

Rosalie ignored Emmett's comment and walked right over to Edward. "Hello there handsome."

Edward smiled at her. "Hello Rosalie."

"Well?" She asked, looking at him as if his saying hello wasn't enough for her.

"Well what?"

"You gonna kiss me or something? I am your girlfriend."

"Of course." He said, leaning forward and giving her a light peck on the lips, which made me flinch. "I just didn't know if you wanted me to kiss you."

"Duh I wanted you to kiss me, I haven't seen you since...what...October?"

"September Rose, I left in September."

"Really?"

"Yes Rose, really."

"Are you sure? I'm almost positive that you left me all alone in LA in October."

"No I came here on September thirteenth."

"You remember the exact date?"

"I do." He said, not exactly seeming very pleased with Rosalie. I could certainly see why.

"Hmm." She said after a while. "I still swear you came here in October..maybe November even."

"Rose it is November."

"Oh well then it was defiantly October."

Edward sighed and looked around the room at his family to see if they would help him out any.

"Ok everyone!" Emmett called, seeing his brother's desperate look. "Please make a tunnel at the bottom of the stair case so that the Emmy Bear may run through it."

"Are you insane or something?" Alice asked him as Jasper laughed at Emmett's request.

"No I'm not insane....I'm Emmett! Make a tunnel now...come on...move along."

We all sort of shrugged and made a tunnel at the bottom of the staircase for Emmett to run through. He ran by, high-fiving all of us like sports stars do sometimes. Rosalie stood off to the side and rolled her eyes at his antics.

After Emmett finished running through the tunnel, everyone sort of dispersed around the living room. I remained beside Edward, and Haley stood beside me...mumbling about how beautiful Rosalie's dress was, but it would be better if it had feathers.

Rosalie came over to the three of us. "So Edward, I do believe that some introductions are in order." She said, looking at Haley and then me.

Edward looked over at Haley and I, as if he just remembered that we were there. "You're right."

"I know I'm right, you don't have to tell me that. Just introduce them to me Edward."

He cleared his throat and gestured to Haley. "Rosalie, this is one of my classmates Haley Swing."

"Nice to meet you Haley." Rosalie said, shaking her hand.

Haley's eyes grew wide. "It's really nice to meet you too Rosalie! Super nice! As nice as feathers nice! You are my favorite actress you know?"

"I'm most people's favorite actress. That's certainly quite understandable...since there really is no other competition."

"Have you ever thought of wearing a dress with feathers?"

"Feathers?" Rosalie asked, seeming confused. "No I guess I haven't."

"Next time you need a dress I make it for you, and have Edward ship it to you in the mail. It will look quite pretty. I made my dress." She said, pointing to herself.

"Yeah I can tell." She said, looking at Haley's creation. "You know Harley.."

"It's Haley."

"Haley. You may be able to pull off the thousands of feathers stuck to a piece of fabric look, but I don't really do cheap designs. Sorry."

Haley didn't exactly get what Rosalie was trying to say, but I knew that I wanted to punch her...because she was insulting Haley without making it extremely obvious.

Edward intervened before anything more could be said. "Rose."

"Yes Edward?" She said, refocusing her attention on him.

He motioned to me. "This is my friend Bella."

Friend? Since when was I his friend? He had introduced Haley as his classmate, why didn't he introduce me like that as well? Maybe we were sort of friends, I guess we had to be since our families get along and all.

"Ah the famous Bella Swan." She said as she shook my hand and smiled that evil little smile of her's. "The girl that I have heard a billion stories about. It's so nice to finally get to associate the person with the name."

"It's great to meet you too Rosalie." I said, trying not to be too polite. Rosalie wasn't being very polite, so why should I?

Edward kept glancing at me and then Rosalie, as if he was waiting for us to kill one another or something.

"So did Edward tell you I was coming tonight?" Rosalie asked me.

I looked over at Edward, who shied away from my glance. "No, he forgot to mention it."

"Oh so you didn't even know I was here? Well you must be very surprised."

"Trust me, I am."

"Did your friend over here make your dress too?" She asked, pointing to me.

I looked down at my dress. "Nope, I bought this in a store."

"Interesting."

"Rosalie why don't you go sit down with everyone else?" Edward suggested.

"Edward why don't you stop telling me what to do?" She fired back, walking up to him and wrapping her arms around his neck. "Why would I want to go over there when I haven't seen you in _so_ long?"

"You could have taken the initiative to visit before now, you know?"

"Yes but babe I am so busy back at home. It's hard to take time off."

"I read on the internet that you took a two week vacation to Paris at the beginning of October."

She laughed as if that was nothing. "Oh please, you know the tabloids lie."

"The tabloids...or the person they are about?"

"That would be none of your business." She said, removing her arms from around his neck and taking a step back.

"What my girlfriend does when I'm away isn't any of my business?"

"No it's not. If you wanted to know what was up with me, you would have stayed at home."

"Rose I don't even know what's up with you when I am home."

"Maybe you should pay more attention to me."

"I think I pay plenty of attention to you."

"Apparently not enough."

Edward let out a long sigh. "Rosalie all I'm trying to say is that it would have been nice if you visited at some point in time before now."

"Edward, all I'm trying to say is that it would have been nice if you just would have stayed back at home in LA with me...where you really belong."

"Well please excuse me for wanting to come back to the place I was born to attend school for a few months."

"Yeah, attend school for a few months." Rosalie said, glancing at me. "I'm going to go freshen up a bit. Call me down when dinner is ready."

"Will do." Edward said, as she disappeared back up the stairs. As soon as she was gone, he allowed himself to look over at me. "Go ahead."

"Go ahead? What do you mean?"

"Tell me how much of a snot Rosalie is."

I actually laughed a bit. "I was just going to say wow."

"Wow? Why wow?"

"Because that's the only word I can use to describe what I just witnessed."

He laughed a bit as well. "Yeah I guess that was sort of wow worthy."

"Is that how it's always like? Do you two always argue like that?"

"Oh no, it gets worse. That was actually pretty mild."

"Can you ever have a conversation that doesn't turn into an argument?"

He looked like he was thinking. "No, I don't think so."

"That's really sad."

"Yeah it is."

"I can't believe you just let her say all that crap to you."

"It doesn't bother me that much anymore."

"She really is being a snot...you know?"

He laughed. "Yes I know. Of course that isn't unusual for her at all."

"No it probably isn't." I said, offering him a sincere smile. "And why didn't you tell me she was going to be here?"

He grinned and tried to look away from me, as if he didn't want to tell me the answer.

"Edward Anthony Cullen!" I joked with him, trying to make him face me. "Why didn't you tell me she was here?"

He looked up at the ceiling as he spoke to me. "You remember the other day when we were in the kitchen with Gazpacho and Rosalie called me?"

"Yes."

"She called to tell me that she was coming to dinner tonight."

"And you didn't want to tell me that."

"Nope."

"Why might I ask?"

"Because you hate her. I thought that you wouldn't come if you knew Rosalie was going to be here."

"You really wanted me to come that bad?"

"Well I knew that Alice really wanted to see you, and you were looking forward to seeing Jasper and my dad...so I didn't want to take that away from you just because Rosalie was going to be here."

"Ok then." I said. "You can look at me now you know?"

"Nah, I don't want to burn my eyes."

I smacked him on the arm. "Well I'm looking at you and my eyes aren't burning."

"They should be." He said, finally taking his gaze off of the ceiling and onto me.

"And why is that?"

"Because I am h-o-t...hot."

"Yeah about that." I said, smiling.

"You know it's true." He said winking at me before going over to join the rest of his family.

I was kind of looking forward to what this dinner was going to be like.

* * *

Gazpacho called us all into the dinning room a few minutes later. Edward sent Emmett upstairs to retrieve Rosalie before we all took our seats. I sat beside Edward and Haley around the large dinning room table. During the actual meal everyone was fairly quiet, except for Emmett...but he's never quiet. All of the food was fantastic...Gazpacho really was a great chef. Once we had finished our main course, Gazpacho disappeared into the kitchen to finish preparing the cake. Everyone remained around the dinner table, having small conversations while they waited for him.

"Hey Rosalie!" Haley called, leaning over me so that she could have a better look at Rosalie, who was sitting on the other side of Edward. "Could I catch your autograph before we leave?"

"Of course you can Hartley."

"It's Haley."

"I said that didn't I?"

"No Rosalie you said Hartley." Edward told her.

She ignored him. "I will have to go upstairs and get a picture for you. I would never sign my autograph on something stupid like a napkin." She said, looking over at Edward from the corner of her eye.

It took everything I had in me to keep myself from gasping at her comment. She must have known that Edward had signed his autograph to me on a napkin two years ago, and now she was practically insulting him for it. Edward almost seemed hurt by Rosalie's comment because he bit his lip and starred down at the table as if it was suddenly the most interesting thing in the room.

"Ok that be good." Haley said, not understanding what Rosalie had just said.

"Whatcha looking at there babe?" Rosalie asked, noticing that Edward's eyes were glued to the table.

"My napkin I guess." He said with a bit of bite to his words.

"Well look up at me, I'm much prettier."

"I am going to freaking slap her." I whispered to myself.

Edward actually did look up and turn his head toward Rosalie. "Rose, could you please try and behave yourself around our guests?"

"Why do I need to behave? Emmett runs around in his underwear, throws footballs down the hallway, and serenades me when I'm getting ready...but you don't tell him to behave."

"That's Emmett. It's natural for him to act like that. You should at least know how to have a little class."

"Oh so now I'm not classy?"

"According to the way you are acting right now I'd say no, you're not."

"I think I have a lot more class than a few people here." She said, her eyes drifting in my direction.

"You are not doing a very good job at proving it, if that's the case."

"What do you mean Emmett serenades to you when you get ready?" I said, in an effort to save Edward from yet another argument with her. He seemed very thankful for my interruption.

"Emmett thinks that if he sings to me, I will be attracted to him." Rosalie said, rolling her eyes. "It doesn't work."

"So that's who you were singing Love Game to?" I asked Emmett.

He wiggled his eyebrows. "Yep, it sure was."

"You told me that he was singing to the wall." I told Edward.

He laughed a little. "He practically was...Rosalie doesn't listen to him."

"It's not like his singing to me is going to make me want to date him. I have you, what more do I need?" She said before she started kissing all over Edward's face. Edward's parents kind of wrinkled their noses at this, obviously not approving of what Rosalie was doing.

"Rose could you please try and control yourself?" Edward said, pushing her off of him. "Now is not the time nor the place."

"Oh you'd like to go somewhere else and do this? Well then by all means...let's go." She said, getting up and trying to drag him with her. He didn't budge. "Are you coming?" She asked him when he didn't move.

"We are still having dinner Rosalie."

"Dinner is over."

"We are waiting on desert."

"If you'd come upstairs with me you could have something a lot better than dessert." She said, smiling seductively.

I was about ready to throw the nearest object at her head. It was taking _a lot_ of self-control to keep me from doing so.

"Rosalie that was totally inappropriate." Edward said, seeming very displeased.

"I think it was very appropriate. It's not my fault your parents have a problem with their children being involved in sexual relations...or in some cases I guess just merely talking about sexual relations...since some of us don't want to get involved."

Edward sighed in disgust. "Rosalie, come over here and sit back down. We have guests here and you should try and act polite around them."

She stormed back over to her chair and sat down. "I'm your guest too, but you aren't acting very polite to me."

"You are not giving me a reason to be polite to you."

"I'm your girlfriend, that should be reason enough."

"You were great in Love to Hate You." I spit out, once again trying to help Edward.

Rosalie instantly focused on me. "Really? Why thank you! I knew I was great in that movie."

"Fantastic. No other actress could have portrayed the part of Claire as well as you."

"No other actress could portray _any_ part as well as me." She said smiling.

"You are an amazing actress." I said, not really sure where all of this was coming from.

"Thank you Bella." She said, smiling at Edward. "She's actually a lot nicer than you told me she is."

"She has the potential to be a very nice and wonderful person." Edward said, looking over at me. "She just likes to pick on me."

"I like to pick on you? You like to pick on me."

"True, I guess I do like to pick on you quite a bit."

"Yes Edward has told me all those little stories." Rosalie said, interrupting Edward and I's conversation. "That's so cute how you guys tease one another like that."

"I wouldn't call it cute." I said. "More like aggravating."

She laughed. "If I didn't know that you two disliked one another so much, I'd have to be jealous."

"Why would you have any reason to be jealous of Bella?" Edward asked, seeming almost as shocked as I was by her statement.

"Well everything the two of you do...the teasing, the taunting, the picking on one another....it's all very flirtatious." She looked at me. "Good thing you're not really Edward's type...or I'd have to assume he was like in love with you or something."

Edward was taking a drink of his water, but once she said that he spit it across the table, spraying Alice in the face.

I tried Edward's trick of starring at the table to take the attention off of me. It worked pretty well.

Edward coughed, obviously trying to recover from spitting water half way across the room. "Wow Rose that was an incredible theory you came up with."

"It is isn't it?" She said, seeming pleased with herself. "You know...in a way...you almost flirt with Bella more than you flirt with me."

"I flirt with Bella?"

"Well that's what I would call it."

"So just because I pick on her every now and then...I must be in love with her?"

"Makes sense doesn't it?" She said. "Of course, like I said....I know that you really do hate her. At least I don't have to worry about you leaving me for some girl."

"No you don't have any reason to worry about that."

"I may have to worry about some girl trying to take you from me."

I just somehow knew that this comment was directed toward me. It was almost like Rosalie could tell that I liked Edward, and she obviously did not approve of that. She kept making all of these little comments that were meant to insult me. In truth, they didn't really bother me that much. I actually felt worse for Edward. If this is what their relationship was like all of the time, that must be terrible.

"Rosalie what time does your flight leave tomorrow?" Edward asked in an effort to change the subject.

"Two o'clock in the afternoon. Are you going to meet me there?"

"I can't Rose, I'm sorry."

"Why the heck not?" She asked, the angered tone returning to her voice again.

"Tomorrow is Friday."

"I know what day of the week it is tomorrow....jeez. That doesn't explain why you can't come."

"Rose where are most kids my age at on a Friday at two in the afternoon?"

"At the airport wishing their girlfriend a warm-hearted farewell."

"I have to go to school tomorrow Rosalie."

"Well you can leave early to come say goodbye to me."

"But Ros..."

"Come around noon so that way you have plenty of time to offer me a proper goodbye."

"Ros..."

"And you should bring me some lunch too, have Gazpacho make me some lobster."

"Ros..."

"Oh and getting me some flowers might be a good idea. I want two dozen pink roses, no babies breath."

"Rosalie!"

"Yes?" She asked.

He starred right into her eyes. "Shut up."

"Ooh." Emmett said, illustrating what everyone else was thinking at that moment.

"Excuse me?" She asked, looking at him with utter disbelief.

"Shut up." He repeated, causing her to stare at him open-mouthed in shock. "Now listen to me ok?"

"I don't think I deserve to be talked to in such a manner."

"I don't think I deserve to listen to you ramble on about a bunch on nonsense."

"Coming to the airport to say goodbye to your girlfriend is considered a bunch of nonsense?"

"Maybe not at two on a Saturday afternoon, no. But on a Friday afternoon, I would call that nonsense."

"Why is that nonsense? Leave school at eleven so you can get everything around that you need to bring to the airport and spend two hours talking to me. Sounds pretty logical."

"Rosalie I can't just skip school to go hang out with you at the airport."

"Of course you can."

"No I really can't."

"Yes you can."

"Rosalie the only reason you should leave school early is if you are sick or have a doctor's appointment or something."

"Well then tell the people in the office that you have to leave for a doctor's appointment. They'll have to believe you."

"Convincing the people in the office to let me leave is not the issue here Rose."

"Then what is?"

"I just can't skip school for no reason. It's not morally correct."

"Oh please, must you always be morally correct?" She asked, rolling her eyes at him.

"Is there a problem with that?"

"Can't you live on the wild side for once in your life? For goodness sakes Edward, you'd think I was asking you to blow up the world, the way you're talking. All I want you to do is leave school early to come say goodbye to me. Is that really so wrong?"

We were all silent, waiting for Edward's response.

"Rosalie, listen to me."

"I'm listening."

"I am not leaving school until we let out at three in the afternoon. Therefore, I am not coming to the airport to tell you goodbye. I will spend the rest of the night with you once Haley and Bella leave, and I will tell you goodbye in the morning before I leave. Alright?"

"That won't work for me." She said, fluffing her hair up a bit.

"Why not?" Edward asked, seeming very fed up with her now.

"Because I need to get plenty of sleep in the morning to prepare me for my extremely long flight home."

"It's an hour and a half flight Rose."

"Like I said, I need to be well rested for my long flight home."

"What time do you think you're going to get up?"

"Around eight or so, that way I have several hours to get ready."

Edward sighed and buried his face in his hands. "School starts at eight."

"Go in to school late, problem solved."

"Rosalie I want to get this through your head right now ok?" He said looking back at her. "I am not missing out on school in any way, shape, or form. Period...end of story. If you don't want to wake up half an hour earlier...I will just have to tell you goodbye tonight before you go to bed."

"Fine then." She said, looking a way from him for a second before turning back around. "You know Edward...it's quite tragic that you don't even care about me enough to say goodbye to me at the airport."

"Gosh Rose just freaking shut up." He said, getting up and pushing his chair into the table.

"What the heck is wrong with you?" She screamed at him.

"What's wrong with me? I think you better be asking yourself the same question."

"Edward I took a lot of time out of my schedule so that I could come visit you, but you don't seem the least bit appreciative."

"A lot of time? Rose you got here this morning and you are leaving tomorrow afternoon. That is not a lot of time. And maybe that wouldn't be so bad if you had tried to come visit before."

"Maybe you should have tried to visit me in LA."

"I have to go to_ school _Rosalie...do you not get that?"

"You can take a week off of school and come see me."

"I will come to LA Rose, but only when we are out of school for break."

"And I will come here when I get a break."

"Instead of going to Paris...right?"

"Edoardo." Gazpacho said coming into the dinning room with the cake. "Why are you out of your seat?"

Edward sighed and sat back down. "Just a little restless, that's all."

Gazpacho could obviously tell there was something up according to the looks on everyone's faces. "Well, please eat and enjoy."

"You know, I don't really feel like dessert." Rosalie said, getting up herself. "I'll go get that picture for you Holly."

"Rosalie for the thousandth time her name is Haley." Edward snapped at her. "Not Harley, not Hartley, not Holly, not Houdini...Haley."

"Well excuse me for not remembering tiny unimportant details such as one of your classmate's names." She said, smiling at me. "Would you like an autographed picture as well Bella?"

"Sure thing Rosalie." I said, not even bothering to say thank you.

"By the time I'm back downstairs with those you guys should be ready to leave." She said as she looked over at Edward. "Right?"

"They can stay as long as they want." He replied simply, picking at his cake.

"Actually we probably should leave soon. I just remembered that I have some homework I need to do for tomorrow." I said, which was a total lie, I just wanted an excuse to leave.

"Very well then." Rosalie said before she left the room. Everyone else finished their cake in silence, and then the kids helped Gazpacho clean up the dishes. Once Rosalie came back down stairs with the pictures for Haley and I, she excused herself to her room for the night. Emmett followed her, and it wasn't long until we heard him singing once more. Haley and I finished saying goodbye to everyone before we got ready to leave. Edward actually volunteered to walk us outside, and neither one of us protested.

"I'm gonna go put this in the car." Haley said, pointing to her autographed picture. "You want me to take your picture Bella?"

"You can even keep it if you want." I told her as I handed it to her.

She smiled. "Ok then, if that's what you want."

"I'm sure you like it more than I do."

She didn't say anything, she merely smiled and ran off to her car. I knew she was really just giving Edward and I a little time alone.

As soon as I heard her car door close I looked over at Edward who was leaning against the front door with his eyes closed.

"You ok?" I asked him, not really knowing what else to say.

"Je voudrais vraiment frapper ma petite amie en ce moment." He mumbled, still not bothering to open his eyes.

I could tell that he was speaking in French, so I laughed a bit. "What did you just say?"

To my surprise, he laughed as well. "Nothing."

"You're swearing in French...aren't you?"

"Heck no." He said, opening his eyes and looking at me. "I really would like to, but Gazpacho knows how to speak French."

"Ah and he would man slap you if he heard you swearing."

"Exactly. So I mutter things in French that exclude swear words."

"So when you get aggravated...you ramble on in French?"

"It provides some relief. And besides, Rosalie doesn't understand much French, so if she for any reason just heard me...she couldn't tell what I said."

"What did you say about her?"

"Are you kidding me? I'm not going to repeat that in English."

"Why not?"

"Because if I do you will hear about my death in tomorrow's news headlines."

Even though Rosalie killing him wouldn't be a very humorous event, I still laughed anyway. "Well it must have been pretty bad then."

"Yeah defiantly something I don't want Rosalie to hear me say."

"Especially since she freaked out when you simply told her to shut up."

"She wasn't exactly being very nice tonight was she?" He asked.

"No she really wasn't."

"She's normally a snot, but never anything like that. I don't know what got into her."

"Edward." I said, very worried about him. "You know what?"

"I have a feeling I know what you're going to tell me."

"What am I going to tell you?"

"That I don't deserve this and I should just freaking break up with her already."

"Well you took the words right out of my mouth."

He laughed a bit. "I know you're right."

"Really?" I said, surprised he was finally agreeing with me on this issue for once.

"But I'm not going to."

"Why not Edward?" I asked him. "There is no way you actually like being treated like that...is there?"

"Oh no, I don't like it at all."

"Then why put yourself through that?" I asked. "I don't care if you're in love with her or not, but what I just saw in there is not worth it."

"No it's not."

"Then why don't you just break up with her?"

He sighed. "It's very complicated."

"I just don't understand why you let her do that to you. She's not a very good girlfriend you know?"

He nodded his head. "Yes I know."

"Then why date her?"

"Like you've told me before, I guess I'm stupid."

"I'll say."

"She is nice to me _sometimes_."

"When?"

"When I do what she wants me to."

"I bet she'd be thrilled if you randomly showed up at the airport tomorrow."

"Ha, I bet she would be. Too bad that's not gonna happen."

"Is this seriously the first time she has visited you since you came here?"

"Yeah, yeah it is." Edward said, not seeming very happy about the fact. "She hasn't even made any effort to return one of my phone calls until the other day."

"It's because she's _so_ busy." I joked.

"Oh she's defiantly busy with something....just not filming movies."

"Sleeping with other guys?"

"That could be one thing."

"You really don't deserve this Edward." I repeated, hoping he'd just get the picture and break up with her. I mean sure, I'd love it if they broke up for good...I had always wished that they would break up and never get back together. But the main reason I wanted him to break up with her is because now I really knew the way she treated him.

"Why do you keep telling me that?"

"Because it's true." I said, resting one hand on his shoulder. "You know Edward, you can actually be a pretty nice guy at times."

"At times?" He asked, a slight smirk creeping across his face.

"At times." I said, smiling as well. "You have the potential to make some very lucky girl extremely happy one day."

"Are you saying that I make a good boyfriend?"

"I think you could...yeah. But Rosalie shouldn't get to be the girl that you waste that on."

"No she really shouldn't."

"Then do what is right and dump her sorry butt."

He laughed. "Bella I think you need to be on your way. Don't you have homework?"

I laughed as well. "You know I was lying about having homework."

"Of course I know that. I'm pretty much a big deal."

"Ah the ego is back ladies and gentlemen."

"Oh my dearest Bella...the ego never left." He said, grinning from ear to ear.

I shook my head at him as I walked down the stairs. "Goodbye Edward."

"Goodbye Bella." He said, waving to me as I walked to the car.

"Edward." I called, turning to face him as I walked.

"Yes Bella?"

"Débarrassez-vous d'elle."

He laughed at me as I started to run toward Haley's car.

"Nice one Bella."

"I know how to use a French translator on the internet!"

"I can tell."

"Aren't you proud of me?" I asked before, leaning against Haley's car.

"Of course I am. You know how to say a whole sentence in French...what a grand accomplishment."

"It is a grand accomplishment."

"For you maybe."

"Oh be quiet, not all of us know how to speak fluent French."

"I know how to speak fluent French."

"Yes Edward, we all know that you rock at speaking French."

"There's something else French that I rock at too." He said, winking at me for the second time that night before he disappeared into the house.

I just shook my head and laughed at him before getting into Haley's car. I told her that when Rosalie had been talking about her dress, she was really insulting her, which didn't make Haley very happy.

So we plotted our revenge against Rosalie as we drove home.

* * *

**I have a feeling that Rosalie is going to be called _a lot_ of bad names in the reviews. Lol. If you'd like to see her dress, I have a link up in my profile.  
**

**Thanks for reading!**

**~Hazl~  
**


	15. Chapter 15

**I love everyone's reactions to the last chapter! All of your reviews accomplished the task of making me laugh hysterically. :) This is guaranteed to be a very long chapter. Reason being...it is the most important chapter yet. So please enjoy!  
**

* * *

**Chapter 15**

During second period the next day at school, Natasha wanted Haley and I to fill her in on what had happened at the Cullen's the night before. We had a substitute teacher in that particular class, so we weren't doing anything.

"So tell me everything. What happened? Is Jasper just as hot in person?"

I looked over at Edward, who sat at the desk beside me. He was tapping his foot as if he was nervous about something, which was kind of odd. But even though he was involved in some conversation with Denver and Kyle, he smiled at Natasha's comment.

"Well I'm going to have to control what I say since..._someone_ likes to eavesdrop." I said, and noticed that Edward laughed.

"Who's eavesdropping?" Natasha asked, looking all around the room.

"Edward."

"Oh, alright. Tell me everything!"

"Jasper is defiantly hot in person. He's very nice and polite too. Although Edward told him that I thought he was kind of cute, so him and Jasper laughed at me."

"That was awfully rude of Edward."

"I didn't mind to tell you the truth. Sure it was embarrassing, but it wasn't terrible."

"Don't even bother asking me what went on. I was running in the circles in the living room of giganticness." Haley chimed in, as she scribbled a design in her notebook.

Natasha seemed very confused by Haley's statement. "Translation please?" She asked me.

"She's basically saying that she has no idea what went on. She was running in circles in the living room, and she was kind of out of it the whole dinner."

"Alright, your explanation makes a lot more sense."

"Anyway, so after I had the chance to talk to everyone for a bit, we hear someone singing upstairs, and we discovered it was Emmett. It was the funniest thing I heard in a long time."

"Emmett was singing?"

"Yes he was singing...Love Game."

"Oh wow, I bet that would have been hysterical."

"It was." I said, noticing that Edward seemed to be finished talking to the guys, and now he was leafing through his book, pretending not to listen. He was still tapping his foot on the floor like he had been earlier.

"You're not that good of an actor Edward. I can see what you're doing."

"Nope. To the best of your knowledge I am simply very interested in this book of mine."

"To the best of my knowledge, you are simply a moron." I responded.

He laughed. "Why don't I just join in on this conversation as well? I was there too wasn't I?"

"I suppose you were."

"Go on, tell me every last detail!" Natasha begged.

I laughed at her. "After that, I sat with Alice and Esme and they told me a lot of stories about Edward and his acting career."

"What kind of stories?"

"Just like how into his roles he gets, and how much he rehearses. Things like that."

"What else did you guys talk about?"

"Alice tried to convince me that I should marry her brother."

"You should!" Natasha squealed. "If you don't...I certainly will."

"Ladies, ladies, ladies." Edward said, smiling. "Now look, I know all of you want a piece of this _extraordinarily_ handsome guy, but I'm happily taken, sorry."

"Happily?" I asked.

"I'm taken." He said, kind of turning away from us as he started tapping his pencil on his desk.

I tried to ignore him. "Alice begged me to tell her one thing about Edward that I found attractive."

"That must have been really hard to do. What did you say?"

"I said his smile, because it's persuasive, and very contagious."

"That's all?"

"That's all I told her, yes. Then after some time, Edward came back downstairs and Alice and Esme left. Edward and I talked for a while about things Alice has said to us and stuff like that."

"Stuff like that? I need more of an explanation than that Bella." Natasha said, looking at me for more of a story.

"I'll tell you later Natasha." I whispered, since I really didn't want to talk about Edward and I's near kiss when he was sitting right beside me.

"Allow me to tell you the _huge_ details Bella is refraining to say." Edward said, turning back around to face us.

I could instantly fell my cheeks turning hot and I tried to hide my face behind my hair.

"Alice at one time had asked me the same question she had asked Bella, so therefore, Bella was curious as to what my answer had been. I persuaded her to tell me what she had said first, before I told her what I had said."

"What did he say?" Natasha asked, looking back at me.

"I couldn't say it right. He uses big words."

Edward laughed. "I told her that I liked her delicateness, like how fragile she is, and how it looks like she needs rescuing."

Natasha sighed. "That is so sweet."

"Well I said it, of course it is." Edward said, smiling at me. "You're welcome."

I leaned forward to whisper to Natasha. "There's more to it than that. I'll tell you later."

"More to it? Like what?"

"We almost kissed."

Natasha screamed in my ear. "Oh my gosh really?"

"Yes really." I whispered, hoping she would quiet down. "Now don't go around advertising it."

"My lips are sealed." She said, smiling. "So is there more to the night than that?"

"There's certainly more to it than that." I said, looking over at Edward again, who was still tapping his foot on the ground in a nervous manner.

"What the heck is wrong with you?" I asked him.

"What's wrong with me? Why would there be something wrong with me?"

"Do you really want me to answer that question?" I asked.

He smiled. "No I guess I don't."

I couldn't help but smile as well. "Are you nervous about something or what?" I asked, pointing to his nervously tapping foot.

He looked down at the ground. "Oh not really. I'd say I'm more worried than nervous."

"Worried about what? Do you have an audition today or something?"

"Why in the world would I be worried about an audition? I'd go in there and rock it."

I rolled my eyes at his comment. "Ok, fine then." I said, turning back to Natasha. "Anyway, imagine the surprise I got when Rosalie showed up at their dinner."

"Rosalie was there? No way!"

"Yes way."

"What did she do? What did she say? Did her and Edward make out in front of you?"

"Ew...no. Well, she wanted him to, but at least he had enough class to decline. Actually she wanted him to do a lot more than make out."

"Gross!"

"Yeah it was kind of gross. But she was very rude. She insulted Haley's dress, she insulted me various times throughout the night, and her and Edward couldn't stop arguing."

"Really? Did the arguments get real intense or anything?"

"Oh yeah. She got really mad at him when he told her he wasn't going to skip school to go to the airport with her today." I said, as something clicked for me.

I turned around and looked at Edward."Is that why you're freaking out?"

"What?"

"You heard what I said. Are you freaking out because you're afraid of what Rosalie's going to do to you if you don't show up at the airport?"

He took a deep breath and nodded his head. "Yeah that's about right."

"Really Edward? You don't have any reason to worry about her. If she has a problem with it, then...well that's her problem."

"That's easy for you to say. You're not the one that has to listen to her yell at you."

"You wouldn't have to listen to her yell at you either if you just broke up with her." I said, as the bell rang to dismiss us from class.

"Will you tell me the rest of the story later?" Natasha asked me while she gathered her books up.

"Of course. I'll stop by at your house later or something."

"Ok Bella." She called to me as her and Haley walked down the hall to their third period class. I walked to my own third period class in silence and sat down in my seat, only to discover we had a substitute teacher in that class as well.

Edward walked in the room and took his usual seat behind me. I decided since I didn't have anything better to do, that I could continue talking to him.

"You really don't have any reason to freak out about this."

"I know I don't, but I still can't help it."

"I really do not understand the way you work Edward, you know?"

He laughed at my comment, which I considered odd, since I didn't find it funny. "_No one_ understands me."

"Why not?"

"I'm very complex."

"Well I know that." I said, starring at him for a minute. "Do you think maybe no one understands you because you don't ever let people know what you're really thinking?"

He seemed kind of taken aback by what I had said. "What makes you say that?"

"You're an actor. Isn't it natural for you to pretend to be something you're not?"

"Yes, it is."

"So then wouldn't it be natural for you to pretend you're ok when you're not?"

He was silent for a moment. "I'm fine Bella. Really."

"I know you might be fine now, but Rosalie doesn't seem to make you feel very fine."

He shook his head no in response.

"Why stay with her? I mean I know I've asked you that a thousand times...but is she really worth all the crap she gives you?"

"No." He responded simply.

"Then why do you find it so hard to break up with her?"

"Bella, like I said before it is all a very complicated situation. If I could break up with her I would...but I just can't."

"Why do you say that? It's not like anyone is forcing you to date her."

He laughed slightly. "Oh someone is."

"Who?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Some really stupid guy."

I was just getting ready to ask him who that guy was, when all of a sudden the room went dark. All of the girls started screaming and claimed that we were all going to die.

"The power just went out." I said, looking over at Edward who for some reason now had a huge grin plastered across his face.

"Fantastic." He said, jumping out of his desk and running to the front of the room.

"Cullen what the heck are you doing?" Denver shouted to him.

Edward stopped in front of the phone that was hanging on the wall over by the teacher's desk. "I'm calling down to the office to see what the problem is."

"The power's out stupid....that's the problem." Denver said.

"I know that the power is out. I want to know why."

"Why do you care why the power is out?"

"If the power is out because something chewed through the wires for example...that is a problem that can't be fixed by the end of the day."

Denver smiled, realizing Edward's point. "And we would get out of school early!"

"Exactly." Edward said, dialing the office's number. He took the receiver in one hand and leaned against the wall. He even had to make a telephone call look sexy.

"You'll have to let us know what's going down!" Denver called to him, before he turned around to say something to Brandon.

"Gotcha." Edward said. "Hello Mrs. Clark, this is Edward Cullen." He said, smiling as he did so. "Do you by chance seem to know what caused us to loose electricity?"

There was a short pause as the secretary talked to Edward.

"Alright, do you think we may be let out of school early?" There was another pause. "Alright Mrs. Clark. Thank you very much." He hung up the phone and as soon as he did everyone in the class looked at him for an answer.

"As of right now they are unsure of what caused us to loose power. They will let us know by the end of the period whether or not we will be let out early." He announced, which received many cheers from his small audience. He left the front of the room while everyone was clapping for him and took a seat back at his desk.

"Why are you so excited about the possibility of school letting out early?" I asked him.

"Please Bella. It's _school_."

I laughed at him. "Whatever you say Edward." I turned back around and started jotting some ideas down for Miss Lovely's writing assignment. I had about two pages worth of writing finished, but I was really unsure of whether or not I was doing it right. I knew that I'd probably spend my whole Thanksgiving break trying to make that paper just right.

I don't know how much time passed while I was writing, but it must have been quite a while, because I managed to write a decent amount of material, considering the pace I had been working at was relatively slow and the fact that I was writing in the dark.

Edward managed to snap me out of my writing world when he jumped out of his desk and ran to the phone once more.

I sighed and put my writing stuff away as I starred at him dialing the office number again. "Edward what are you doing?" I asked him

He didn't respond, because someone picked up on the other line. "Hello Mrs. Clark? This is Edward Cullen again. So what is the verdict?"

As he paused to listen to her response, a huge grin spread across his face. "Alright. I will be sure to let everyone know. Thank you." He hung up the phone and the whole room instantly became silent as they looked at him for the news.

"Yeah we're letting out of school early." Edward said, pointing to the door. "Enjoy your weekend."

Cheers erupted throughout the room as kids dashed out into the hallway. I decided to go at a slower pace in order to avoid being trampled. Edward pushed his way through the stampede of people to get his books before he too ran out into the hallway.

"Edward!" I called after him in an effort to catch his attention. I was shocked when I walked out into the hallway and saw that no one was there. It was like everyone had disappeared as soon as they heard that school was letting out early.

I walked over to my locker and took my time placing my books in their respective spots. I shrugged my bag on over my shoulder and closed my locker door, making sure the lock on it was closed. When I turned around I noticed I wasn't the only one in the hallway anymore, Edward was walking at a very fast pace toward the main door.

"Edward!" I called to him again, hoping he'd hear me this time. He must have, because he stopped and leaned against the door frame.

"Yes Bella?" He asked me, smiling as I walked toward him.

"Why are you so excited?"

"Think about this Bella. Really think about this."

"I'm thinking, but I've got nothing."

"Bella don't I have somewhere to be at noon?"

I suddenly realized the reason for his excitement. "You're glad we are letting out of school early because now you can so see Rosalie and you don't have to skip school."

"Right." He said, as he pushed against the door handle to walk out into the parking lot.

I followed him out the door. "I can't believe you."

"Why not?" He asked me, stopping in his tracks.

"I just can't believe that you are excited we are getting out of school early so that you can go say goodbye to that good for nothing b....."

"Be nice." He said, laughing slightly.

"Butt face. I was so going to say butt face."

"Yeah you _so_ were not going to say butt face."

"You're right, I wasn't."

"I'm always right."

"No you're not."

"Um..yeah. I believe I am."

"Why?"

"Because I'm pretty much a big deal, that's why."

"Not the stupid catch phrase. I am getting so sick of hearing you say that."

"And I'm getting so sick of your face, but hey...sometimes you just have to get used to things."

"You are such a moron."

"Thanks." He said, walking to his Volvo. "You know, you could come with me if you want."

"Come with you to the airport?" I asked him, kind of surprised. "Why would I do that?"

"Maybe Rosalie and I will get to fighting and you can tell me how much I really need to dump her."

I looked over at my truck, which was parked just a few cars down. "Could I take my truck home first?"

"Sure thing. And since we don't have to be there until noon, we can drive around town for a while...maybe grab something to eat."

"Ok, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm in."

He smiled at me."Thank you Bella." He said, surprising me as he wrapped me up in a hug.

"Um, you're welcome?" I said, not exactly sure what to say.

He laughed a little. "You're not that bad you know?"

"Thanks, you're not that bad either I guess."

I saw him smile at me out of the corner of my eye before he softly kissed me on the cheek. "I'll meet you at your house."

"Ok." Was all I managed to say before he pulled himself away from our embrace. He didn't say another word to me, he merely got in his car and drove away.

I shook my head in an effort to clear the dizziness from it, but no such luck. The walk to my truck seemed to take forever, but I finally managed to get into the driver's seat. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, trying to clear my head. When I opened my eyes, something in my rear view mirror caught my attention, and it caused me to laugh hysterically.

Parked right in front of where Edward's car had been, was Brandon.

* * *

Edward was waiting for me at my house when I pulled into the driveway. He proceeded to complain about how long I had taken, and that I needed a car that could go faster than negative seven miles an hour. I told him that didn't even make any sense, because a car couldn't go negative miles an hour. He tried to convince me that since my truck was so slow, it made perfect sense.

We drove around town for a little while, and then stopped briefly for lunch a little after eleven. As soon as we were finished eating Edward decided we might as well go ahead and go to the airport. We arrived at the airport parking lot around eleven thirty, so we were there in plenty of time.

Once we found a place to park, Edward came around to the passenger's side and opened the door for me.

"Thanks." I said, following him toward the airport. "Do you have any idea what gate her flight is leaving out of?"

"Not a clue in the world." He said, the large automatic doors opening for us.

"So how are you going to find her?"

"That's easy. All I have to do is ask the first person I encounter if they've seen her recently."

I shrugged my shoulders. "I guess that could work."

"You guess?" He asked, smiling. "Watch this."

"I'm watching." I said as Edward approached a relatively young looking guy, maybe around twenty or so.

"Excuse me sir. I'm terribly sorry to bother you, but have you happened to see my girlfriend anywhere?" Edward asked the man.

"She was heading toward gate three last time I saw her." The man said, seeming quite shocked that Edward Cullen was talking to him. "May I have your autograph? My girlfriend loves you."

"Most people do." Edward said, taking out his stack of post it notes and signing his autograph for the guy. "There you are, and thank you."

"Oh no thank you!" The man called after Edward as he came back to my side.

"Told you that would be easy." Edward said, pointing to his left. "Gate three is this way."

I laughed. "Only you could go up to a random stranger, ask them if they had seen your girlfriend, and they'd actually know who you were talking about."

"Yeah I'm pretty much a big deal."

"That really is getting annoying."

"Hence why I say it so much. I love making you mad."

"I can tell."

Edward looked up at the signs above our head and made a quick turn to the right. I wasn't exactly familiar with the airport, because I didn't fly very often. So I just trusted that Edward knew where he was going.

After about a five minute hike through the airport, we hit a road block, because you had to get past security and stuff to actually get to gate three. However Edward didn't take long at all to convince the security guards to let us through, and he handed out a few autographs in the process.

It was maybe another five minutes before Rosalie came into view. She was wearing a _very_ short pink dress with some sort of leggings, and her boobs were popping out of the top of the dress. She was also wearing a pair of huge black sunglasses and her hair was done similar to how it was styled the night before. She didn't seem to notice us because she was too busy talking on her phone.

"Well she's not hard to pick out of a crowd." I said to Edward.

"No she's not."

"All you have to do is look for the person that looks the most like a prostitute...and tada! You have found Rosalie!"

Much to my surprise, Edward laughed. "The sad thing is that is totally true."

Now I laughed as well. "Wow, I thought you were going to yell at me."

"No I guess I'm not." Edward said, starring at Rosalie. "How should I approach this?"

"Walk up to her, say we're done, turn around and leave!!"

"Thanks for the suggestion Bella, but that's not exactly what I was looking for." Edward responded, suddenly looking like he had an idea. "Come on." He instructed me as he walked toward Rosalie.

Edward walked up behind Rosalie and wrapped his arms around her waist, hugging her close. I would have thrown up if there weren't so many people around.

"Hang on Vince, I'll have to get back with you." Rosalie said to whoever she was speaking to on the phone. She hung up and took off her sunglasses so she could see who was hugging her.

"Hello Rosalie." Edward said simply, kissing her cheek quickly before letting go of her.

"Edward my incredibly sexy boyfriend!" Rosalie cried, smiling at Edward. "You finally decided to gain half a brain and come see me!"

I walked forward to stand beside Edward. At this point in time Rosalie hadn't noticed my presence yet. But as soon as I stepped forward her eyes instantly darted to me.

"What is _she_ doing here?" Rosalie asked, pointing at me.

"You see Rosalie, the reason I am here is because our school let out early because the power went out."

"Ok, that's fantastic...but why is Bella here?"

"If you'd let me finish, I will explain."

"You better explain."

"Bella has a truck that is very unreliable." Edward said, looking over at me. "It breaks down all the time. It's basically a piece of junk."

"I have trouble getting it to start up sometimes. It's in major need of some repair." I added in, hoping I was helping Edward out with his explanation. I could tell he was probably going to turn this into one big lie...or act as he likes to call it.

"And today her truck just wouldn't work. So her friend Haley, the one you met last night, offered her a ride to school. But you see, Haley is very, very forgetful...so when we let out of school early today, Haley forgot that she was supposed to take Bella home."

"She does that a lot." I said, doing everything I could to help him.

"So by the time Bella got around to leave, Haley was gone. Almost everyone else in the school was gone as well. But I was still there, so I offered her a ride home, but I told her she'd have to stop by the airport with me first so that I could tell you goodbye on time."

"When did you guys let out?" Rosalie asked.

"Just a little after eleven." Edward lied, probably to make it seem like we hadn't been together that long.

Rosalie seemed pleased with his explanation, because she dropped the issue. "Well regardless...I think it's fantastic that you're here. You should have already been here with me, but I guess school is more important to you."

"What are you trying to say Rosalie? That school matters more to me than you do?"

"Yeah I think that may be what I'm trying to imply."

"So just because I didn't want to skip school to come say goodbye to you, I must love school more than I love you?"

"I would sure say so."

"Rosalie you know that's not true right?" He asked her, placing his hands in his jacket pockets.

"Maybe not." She said, folding her sunglasses up and placing them in her purse. "I guess I just don't understand your passion for education."

"No you really don't."

"It's kind of silly if you ask me."

"Silly that I want to be well educated?"

"Well Edward...you have everything made for you. You're the richest person in the world. The amount of money you have would have you set for a thousand life times. Why waste a year going back to high school when you really don't need to?"

"Rosalie it's my senior year. It's supposed to be the biggest year of your whole high school career. I just didn't want to miss out on it."

"You could have experienced your senior year at a private school back in LA instead of coming here." She said, motioning around her.

"This is the school I went to my whole life Rosalie. My friends are here. It only makes perfect sense to finish out my senior year here in Phoenix."

"I get that. What I don't get is why school matters to you so much. It's not like you need it to function in the world. And besides, school sucks anyway."

"How would you know Rose?" He asked her, the tone of his voice rising just a bit. "You've never once been a student at a public school, or a private one for that matter."

"I still know that school sucks. I've played a public school student in movies many times."

"Yeah but those movies don't teach you what high school life is like." He said. "To this day there has not been one movie that accurately represents the way high school really is, and the day there is...I'd like to star in it."

"Why are you getting so worked up about this?" She asked him, the anger in her voice becoming obvious now as well. I just stood back and watched, trying not to interfere.

"Because unlike you Rosalie, I know what it's like to be a student at a public high school. You will never know because you were tutored your whole life."

"I turned out just fine...didn't I?"

"I'm not saying that you didn't, but what I am saying is that you have no right to judge my want to go back to school, and you certainly have no right to tell me it sucks...because you don't know."

"I think I have a basic knowledge of what it's like. I'm not dumb you know. I just don't get why something as stupid as school matters to you so much."

"Rosalie did you have to wake up at seven in the morning to get dressed, brush your teeth, and eat breakfast? Did you ever have to ride the bus when all these other kids were yelling and screaming at the top of their lungs? Did you ever have to put up with stupid teachers that got on your nerves? Did you ever get frustrated over the inability to understand your writing assignment?"

"No."

"That's right, you didn't...because you never went to public school. _But I did_, so I experienced all that. And yes as terrible as some of it may have been, I missed it."

"Why in the world would you miss school?"

"I have spent a large chunk of my life in school. It was a part of my routine. I was used to it. Then I came to LA, and it was suddenly taken away from me. When something that was a huge part of your life is just taken away from you, you miss it...and I missed school."

"What was wrong with being tutored?"

"Tutoring just isn't for me. It may have worked for you Rose, but it's not my thing."

"Then if you wanted to go back to high school so bad, why not go to one back in LA? You could have continued filming and stuff if you were there."

"Rosalie if I had never landed that role in Love to Hate You, do you know where I would be right now?"

"Why would I know something like that?"

"I would be in school Rosalie, and not a school in LA for that matter. I would be in Phoenix High School. And you know what? I would probably be making preparations to go to college, because unlike you I needed a back up plan."

"A back up plan?"

"Yes Rosalie, a back up plan. You see, you were no more than four months old when your mom took you on the set of her TV show to parade you around for everyone to see. All it took was that and you were in your first movie two months later. You never had to do a thing to work for what you have right now."

"Well of course I didn't...I have natural talent."

"Do I have natural acting talent Rosalie?"

"You're the greatest actor in the world, why wouldn't you?"

"Ok well it sure did take a lot of work to prove that to people."

"What do you mean?"

"I had to audition for the roles I wanted. They weren't just given to me because my mom was famous or my dad had a whole butt load of money. I had to really work for a role if I wanted it. I had to start out with smaller roles too, because I was way too inexperienced for the big time roles. I had to study and read up on scripts and acting techniques. I would spend hours practicing lines in the mirror in hopes of nailing the part I was trying out for. Sometimes I'd get it, sometimes I wouldn't. It all depended. But what I have now...I had to work for. It wasn't just handed to me. I put a _heck_ of a lot of work into this."

"So how does school tie into all of that?"

"Because if for some reason no one ever decided to acknowledge my talent, I had to do something with my life. So I was going to finish high school, go to college, and study medicine. That was the back up plan, because I of course wished that I wouldn't need to do that. But it was still a possibility."

"Well now you don't need that plan anymore. Therefore you don't need school." Rosalie said, glancing over at me real quick. "So why don't you have Gazpacho ship all your stuff back home, and you can get on this plane with me."

"I'm staying here Rosalie. I am going to walk across the stage and get my diploma from Phoenix High School, and I swear you are not going to stop me."

She seemed very aggravated with him. "You don't need that stupid piece of paper Edward!"

"Rosalie my family is a family that is very well educated and they take great pride in things like this. Getting my high school diploma is merely the right thing to do."

"The right thing to do?" She asked, and then she started laughing. "Are you _freaking_ kidding me Edward?"

"No I'm not." He said, looking over at me and then back at Rosalie. "Why are you laughing?"

"Because you always have to do what's right!" She said, seeming flat out disgusted with him.

"Is that such a bad thing?"

"Yes it is. You won't ever let loose! Ever! Because it's not the right thing!" She was practically screaming now, and a few people were starting to look in our direction.

"Rosalie you're drawing a bit too much attention to us." He said.

"Yeah Rosalie, you might want to lower your voice a bit." I said, speaking for the first time in a while.

"Oh I'm sorry. Is drawing too much attention to us not the right thing?" She asked Edward, ignoring my comment.

"What is your problem?" Edward asked her, trying very hard to keep himself under control.

"What's my problem? What is your problem? No Rose, I can't drink because I'm underage and it's not the right thing." She said, using a high pitched voice as a means of mocking Edward.

"What is she doing?" I whispered to myself, but Edward heard me.

"No idea." He said, glaring at her as she continued ranting.

"No Rose, I'm not going to smoke because it does nasty crap to your body and it's not the right thing. No, I'm not going to run that red light because it's not the right thing. No you can't drink and then drive us home because it's not the right thing. No, you can't occasionally kiss another guy because it's not the right thing. No, I can't go to that party because my parents said I can't and it's not the right thing. Abstinence, abstinence, abstinence, _abstinence_!"

I immediately turned to Edward, _very_ confused by the last thing Rosalie said.

Edward didn't bother to look at me, instead he took a deep breath and looked down at the floor.

"Because that's the right thing too..._isn't_ it Edward?" Rosalie asked.

"It is." Was his simple response.

"Now I want you to listen to me babe." She said, lowering her tone of voice. "You better stop questioning me, and most importantly you should make a much bigger effort toward making me happy , because you haven't done a very good job at it."

"Rosalie if you continue saying crap like that, I may need to call this off." He said, a lot of venom biting through his words as he looked up at her.

I wanted to cheer for him, but I remained quiet instead.

"Call this off? Do you really want to do that?"

"No I don't, but if things continue like this, I think that's the best solution."

"Oh I think you couldn't be more wrong." She said, walking up to him and wrapping her arms around his neck. "I guess you best be on your way. I'm very glad you actually tried to make me happy."

"You're welcome." He said, avoiding eye contact with her.

"Why don't you give me a kiss and tell me goodbye?"

Edward sighed, leaned forward, and kissed her softly on the cheek. "Goodbye Rosalie."

"Now that wasn't a very proper goodbye." She said, yanking his face down to her. She pulled him to her, forcing their lips to meet in a kiss.

Edward kissed her back reluctantly as I paced around the waiting area and tried to keep myself from punching Rosalie in the face.

After what seemed like hours, they _finally_ finished kissing.

"Goodbye Edward." Rosalie said, smiling at him before she kissed him once more. "I love you baby."

Edward took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "I love you too Rosalie."

She offered him a sweet smile. "See you at Christmas."

"What about Thanksgiving?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at her as he pulled away from their hug.

"Oh I'm busy all through Thanksgiving. I have to go to London for a photo shoot."

"Ah well I'll actually be in LA then."

"Come spend Thanksgiving in London, problem solved." She called after to him as she walked away.

"I'd rather die, thanks." Edward muttered just so I could hear.

"You ok?" I asked him as he quickly walked past me.

"I just need to get outside, get some fresh air, swear a few times, and mutter a crap load of stuff in French."

I laughed a little. "Do you want me to leave you alone?"

"No, I want you to stay with me. I can vent to you or something."

"Alright." I said as we quickly walked out into the parking lot.

Edward opened the passenger's side door of the Volvo for me before he came around and sat in the driver's seat. Once he sat down he didn't even put the key in the ignition or anything, he just slammed his head down on the steering wheel.

"Are we going anywhere?" I asked, unsure of how to approach him right now.

"Let's just sit here for a minute." He said, lifting his head up.

"Sounds fine to me."

He laughed a bit and shook his head. "Now I wish that you would have talked me out of coming here."

"I told you that you shouldn't bother coming here to say goodbye to her."

"Yeah well I thought I'd be a good boyfriend and come give her the warm-hearted farewell she thought she deserved. I didn't know I actually came here to be humiliated and yelled at."

"You should have expected that."

"I guess I should have." He said, sighing as he leaned back in his seat.

I remained silent, waiting for him to say something else.

"You're right...I really do not deserve this."

"Did you just tell me that I'm right?"

"Yeah I did." He said, turning to look at me. "I should break up with her."

"You really should." I said, trying to encourage him.

"But this is all just so freaking complicated."

"Why is it all so complicated? I mean earlier you said there's some guy forcing you to date her. Is that true?"

"Heck yeah that's true."

"Well who is sick enough to force you to date that snot?"

He laughed slightly. "Me."

"You?"

"Me." He repeated.

"You're forcing yourself to date Rosalie?"

"That sounds about right, yeah."

I thought back to when Edward had told Rosalie he loved her just a few minutes earlier. "Do you really love her Edward?"

He was quiet for a long time before he finally answered me. "Truthfully Bella, not anymore."

"Not anymore? So you did love her?"

"I fell head over freaking heels for that girl when I first met her. She was the world's most famous actress, and I was in a movie with her. She was so sweet to me at first too, nothing like she is now. Shortly before we started dating I swore that I loved her. But it didn't taken long after we had been dating for her true personality to shine, and I realized I never had been in love with her at all. I had made myself believe that I was, but I really wasn't."

"So why are you still with her?"

"Same reason every dysfunctional Hollywood couple stays together. Publicity."

It finally all made sense. Of course Edward wouldn't naturally want to date someone that treated him the way Rosalie did, but for the publicity, sure he would. The world's greatest actress was his girlfriend, how much more publicity _could_ he get?

"Wow."

"It's sick I know, but I kind of need to be with her in all truth."

"How do you need to be with her?"

"Would I be anywhere that I'm at right now in my acting career if it wasn't for her?"

"If she hadn't told them to pick you for the role of Matt you..."

"Never would have been in Love to Hate You." He said. "And it's sick, it's so sick of me to date her solely based on the fact that it makes me more famous, but you have to understand Bella...without her I wouldn't be famous. I'd sink down into the headlines until people forgot about me all together. She keeps me in the public eye."

"Edward if there is one thing I know, it's that you do not and never will need her to make you famous. You are a fantastic actor, and girls around the world are going to love you whether you're with Rosalie or not."

He listened to what I had to say, but didn't comment.

"You know Edward, the whole female population fell in love with you the second you opened your mouth in Love to Hate You. Loosing Rosalie will not change that."

"The whole female population?" He asked, actually smiling a little.

"Minus one." I said, smiling as well.

"So you don't think that I need her?"

"I really don't. Now what you do need is a girl that will love you for who you are, not someone who just takes advantage of you."

"Which is what Rosalie does."

"You need a girl that will treat you the way you deserve to be treated, and that girl is not Rosalie."

"No that girl is not Rosalie." He said, agreeing with me. "Look don't get me wrong Bella, when I say I care about Rosalie...I really do mean that."

"I understand where you're coming from with that. You've been with her for two years, you'd have to care about her in some way."

"I do, but I'd rather her and I just be friends. That would be better than what we are now."

"Then pick up your phone, call her, and dump her."

He sighed. "It's not that easy."

"Why not?"

"Because whenever I break up with her she always begs me to take her back. I eventually have to just so she'll shut up."

"Edward." I whined. "You're never going to get anywhere if you do that."

"I know." He said, sighing. "I'll have to wait and see what happens over Christmas break when I see her again."

"You're going to wait that long?"

"She's not going to call me anytime soon, and she's _certainly_ not going to make any effort to come here. It's easy to date her when she's not with me."

We both laughed, when I suddenly remembered something.

"Hey Edward can I ask you a question?"

"Sure thing. What is it Bella?"

"When Rosalie was ranting on and on about how you always do what's right, what was the whole abstinence thing about?"

He smiled slightly as his eyes drifted away from me. "You um...caught onto that huh?"

"How couldn't I? She was only screaming it at the top of her lungs."

He laughed a little, but still didn't allow himself to look at me. "What do you think Rosalie meant by it?"

"I know what I think, but I want to hear you tell me what it really means."

Once again he didn't say anything.

"Edward."

He laughed a little again. "It means exactly what you think it means. I'm..." He paused, looking up at the ceiling of the car.

"What? You're what Edward?"

"I'm...a virgin." He said, looking over at me.

"There's no way."

"Oh there's way."

"There's just no way!" I said, smiling at him and shaking my head. "How?"

"I've never had sex before, that's _how_."

"But I just don't understand."

He placed both his hands on my face. "I've...never...had...sex. Understand _now_?"

"That's not what I mean." I said, pushing his hands off of my face. "How have you never..."

"Had sex?"

"Yeah that's what I meant."

"I've just never done it."

"I get that, but you...I mean you're you."

"Yep I'm me."

"And Rosalie is _Rosalie_. I mean she's like the most sexually craved person in the world! How did you ever manage to stay together?"

"Why do you think Rosalie cheats on me all the time?" He asked. "She's not getting any from me, so she's got to get some from somebody."

It all started to click for me. "That all makes perfect sense now that I think about it."

"Yeah it does...doesn't it?"

"But why didn't you want to...ya know...do that with her?"

He paused for a minute before he spoke. "Bella I was raised to believe that sex is best saved for after marriage."

"I guess I could see your parents installing that in you.."

"Yeah Emmett and Alice didn't exactly listen to that rule."

"Alice?"

"Yes, Alice is not as innocent as she seems and we will leave it at that. If I say any more about the subject, I _will_ barf."

I couldn't help but laugh at him.

"And what my parents have taught me is what I for the most part believe. I could see myself maybe sleeping with a girl before I married her if I knew deep down in my heart she would be my wife someday."

"But you never slept with Rosalie because you knew that you really didn't love her that much."

"I couldn't have said it better myself."

"I just find it so hard to believe that _you're not_ some sex craved moron."

"I've tried to tell you that I'm not, but you don't like to listen to me."

I blushed in response to his comment. "I guess I should listen to you more often."

"Maybe you should." He said smiling at me as he put the keys in the ignition. "You know Bella, I'm not that bad of a guy. There's a lot of things about me that no one would ever expect to be true."

"I think I've figured that out now." I said, smiling at him.

He smiled back at me in response.

I let out a long sigh and shrugged my shoulders. "So what are we going to do now?"

"Want to go have sex?" He joked, laughing at my facial expression.

I laughed as well. "Nah, I guess I'll pass on that one, but thanks anyway."

"Fine, suit yourself." He said, pulling out of the airport parking lot.

I starred out of the passenger's side window and allowed all of my different thoughts to fly through my head.

I was really glad that the power had went out at school today, because if not...I wouldn't have spent that day with Edward. Hearing him explain his passion for school, how hard he had to work for his fame, how he didn't really love Rosalie...but he stayed with her anyway, and most importantly hearing him admit the last thing he told me finally made me realize something. Edward was just a regular guy like Kyle, Denver, and Brandon. Sure he was a movie star, but deep down he had thoughts and feelings like the average person. Simple little things mattered to him a lot more than the bigger ones, and that made him actually seem real.

And for the first time since I met him, I could honestly say that after that moment, all of my feelings of hate toward Edward Cullen....

Were gone.

* * *

**So can I assume that Rosalie will be called a whole bunch of bad names once more? I'd say it's safe to assume that. ;) Oh and if you want to see the outfit Rosalie was wearing in this chapter, there's a link up in my profile.  
**

**What did you guys think about Edward's confessions to Bella in this chapter? Did they shock you at all? Well, I think all of you were starting to see that there was no way Edward could really "love" Rosalie, but some of you were still confused about how deep his feelings are for her, which is perfectly understandable...because Edward isn't even sure about it himself.**

**But I bet his second confession was something you guys probably weren't expecting. You would think that since he is such a hot-shot that he would have done that kind of stuff, you know? I've tried to hint at this fact before in previous chapters to see if anyone would catch on. I obviously hinted to it in this chapter with Rosalie's abstinence, abstinence, abstinence rant, but I've hinted to it before as well. **

**Like for a few examples...in Chapter 9 (the cafeteria argument chapter) Bella says to Edward _"Good! Go back to LA and get drunk, do drugs, and have sex with Rosalie for all I care!" _...which he responds to with, _"What makes you think I do all that stuff?"_ and when Bella says it's because she _"knows who he is"_...he responds _"she doesn't know him at all." _**

**I really tried to hint toward it in the last chapter when Rosalie was wanting Edward to go upstairs with her. Like when Rosalie said, _"It's not my fault your parents have a problem with their children being involved in sexual relations...or in some cases I guess just merely talking about sexual relations...since some of us don't want to get involved." _ The key to this quote was the fact she said _"Merely talking about sexual relations, since some of us don't want to get involved."_...trying to hint toward the fact that Edward has never slept with her before. Another major hint in the previous chapter is when Edward was talking about how it would not be morally correct for him to skip school and Rosalie says, _"Must you always be morally correct?" _**

**So that was my discrete way of hinting towards it to you guys. I hope you all liked this chapter. The next one is going to be in Edward's POV! In LA! With Alice! And Jasper! And Emmett randomness! Woo! It's gonna be an interesting chapter, I'm looking forward to typing in Edward's POV for a change.  
**

**BANANA!!!!!!!! (This is a message from my sister to all of you.)**

**Thanks for reading!  
**

**~Hazl~  
**


	16. Chapter 16

**I'm glad you guys all liked the last chapter. It was a very important part to the story, and it really got the ball rolling for the interesting material that will be coming your way here soon. As a slight comedic relief from all of the recent drama in the past few chapters, I am making this chapter in Edward's POV. It gives you all the chance to kind of see what is going on with him, and I'm sending him to LA...so it allows you to get a first look at his life there as well. This chapter may be a bit shorter than most, but it should be neat....since you get the chance to get in Edward's head. :)**

* * *

**Chapter 16**

_Edward's POV_

I was just mere minutes away from the city I had felt such a strong connection to my whole life.

When I had left LA in the middle of September, I really didn't think that I would miss it that much. But I was very wrong, because it was only a matter of days until I was counting down to Thanksgiving break.

I don't know why I love LA so much. I don't exactly know why I get so overly passionate about things in general, but I do. I guess I just really get attached to things that I like.

LA was an amazing city though. The whole superstar lifestyle was fantastic, and I don't think that I will ever get sick of it. Some celebrities may not like the fact that there is several thousand screaming people with cameras outside their house, but I do. I simply love being famous. Maybe it's because I have such a huge ego. When you're as famous as I am, that's defiantly going to appease the ego.

When I was growing up in Phoenix and struggling to make myself known as an actor, I always knew in the back of my mind that I would have to move to LA if I wanted to reach the level of fame I was dreaming of. Most people would have been scared out of their mind, especially if they had only been to the city twice in their lifetime before moving there. But not me...no I had fallen in love with a city I barely even knew. Of course, I think I had spent so many hours researching it that I probably knew LA better than people who had been there their whole life.

The thing I think I missed the most about being in LA was getting to spend time with my family. I'm a very family-oriented sort of person, and so being separated from them for such a long time kind of upsets me. Now that I would be returning to LA for Thanksgiving break, I would get to spend time with my whole family...something that I had been lacking recently.

You would think that I'd also be excited about returning to LA so that I could see my girlfriend. However even if she was going to be in the _country_ while I was back in town, I _really_ didn't care to see her. After all the things Rosalie had said and done to me recently, I certainly wasn't very happy with her.

I didn't love Rosalie. I really never did love Rosalie, I was merely infatuated with her when we first met. I mean what sixteen year old guy would not be attracted to the world's most talented actress? I cared about Rosalie a lot, and I wish that she wouldn't do some of the things that she does, but I'd rather just be friends. Our whole relationship is such a joke. I know she doesn't love me, she has made that extremely obvious...and I certainly know that I don't love her. Maybe she'd care about me a little more if I ever decided to sleep with her. But like I give a crap what she thinks, I'm _not_ giving that up for her.

It really was sick of me to date her just for the publicity. I was raised better than that. I should be dating Rosalie because I love her, not because I think she keeps me famous.

Until recently, I had been under the impression that I wouldn't be as famous if it wasn't for Rosalie. But Bella had opened my eyes to the truth when we talked at the airport that one day. I mean I was already drop dead gorgeous before I met Rosalie, and I'm still drop dead gorgeous now...people would have fallen for me anyway.

I looked around my private jet, anxious for our arrival in LA. Gazpacho had decided to fly back with me. There was no way I was going to leave him in Phoenix when I'm going to LA for Thanksgiving break. Gazpacho makes a mean pumpkin pie.

The landing seemed to take far too long for my liking, but the plane finally touched down on LA soil. I was already prepared to jump out of the plane and dash into the airport, but my security guards had to check the property and make sure everything was safe for me.

That's the one thing I hate about LA...my security guards. I mean don't get me wrong, I really appreciate the fact that they would dive in front of a bullet for me...but seriously? I was born a normal kid, I have a basic knowledge on how to deal with certain dangerous situations. Unlike some celebrities such as Rosalie who rely on their security guards to protect them from a freaking spider.

I could even deal with the crazy fans and the paparazzi on my own. I actually like crazy fans more than the calm ones. If a fan is crazy, it means they're overly obsessed with me, and in my opinion that's fantastic. The more obsessed someone is with me, the better.

And I love the paparazzi. Anyone that wants to take my picture a thousand times is a friend of mine. So I don't get why my security guards have to freak out about everything so much. They don't let me go _anywhere_ without taking a whole herd of them with me. It doesn't matter how much I protest against them coming along, they still come. It's like they think someone is lurking around everywhere I go, waiting to kill me. I don't know why they think that, because minus Brandon...the whole world loves me. Seriously...who would want to murder someone this good looking?

At least while I had been in Phoenix they let me go places without security most of the time. Phoenix was safer in their opinion because there isn't a paparazzi in Phoenix. In all truth, I feel a lot less safe in Phoenix. Brandon's there...don't I have reason to be concerned? I actually wanted to take a member of my security with me to school after the first day. I _finally_ request that I have a body guard with me for once in my life and they evaluate the school building and decide I'd be fine on my own. Great, because the next day Brandon's waving around a metal bar! And if he was going to hit anything with that metal bar, I know it would be my head.

Speaking of getting hit with things in the head, where was my security at when Bella was beating me with a tube of cinnamon rolls? Oh yeah, they went shopping for new sunglasses, my bad.

Maybe Bella was almost more threatening to me than Brandon. She hits me, smacks me, and beats me with unbaked pastries. That's a pretty dangerous person in my eye. Not really, Bella's basically harmless. She truthfully doesn't scare me at all.

Picking on Bella is so much freaking fun. I swear I'm like addicted to teasing her or something. Why do I find it so fun? I have no idea, I'm kind of an odd person actually. Like I said before, I get overly passionate about some of the dumbest things.

But picking on Bella is a blast. It's actually a lot of fun to hate her, if that makes any sense at all. Of course, I don't mind it when we're being nice to one another either. Bella is a very nice person. She has a huge heart and I can tell that she cares about people...even me...and I treat her like crap seventy-five percent of the time.

She is so much fun to hang out with though. I would probably consider her one of my best friends. I don't know if she feels the same about me, but that's what I think. I have a ton of fun just hanging out with her and joking around. When we're not trying to kill one another, we get along pretty well.

I don't truly hate her, I couldn't truly hate anybody. I don't even hate Rosalie, and that's really saying something. I wouldn't doubt it if Bella actually did have some feelings of hatred toward me, and I really can't blame her. I've done some really terrible things to her in the past several years, and I can perfectly understand if she'll never be able to forgive me for it.

That's the bad thing about addictions, sometimes they can get just a little out of control. My picking on Bella tends to get out of control at times, and I always feel real bad after I've said or done something that I really shouldn't have. I've been trying to act better around her recently, and it's working for now. But sometimes I still slip up and throw a little teasing into our conversation or something.

I think I can finally understand why Bella calls me a moron all the time. It finally all makes sense. I'm Edward Cullen the world's sexiest moron.

Ah I don't really like the sound of being called a moron. Well, at least I'm sexy. Hearing that will _never_ get old.

Once my security guards finally decided it was safe for me to get off the plane, I jumped out of my seat like a madman. I don't know what took them so long. They must have been getting freaking doughnuts or something.

I considered running into the airport due to my immense excitement, but decided not to since I knew there were probably a thousand people with cameras waiting for me to walk out of the gate. I didn't want my first picture back in LA to be of me running like some freaking rhinoceros in a stampede or something.

That was maybe the only other bad thing about LA. As a big time movie star you always had to worry about being photographed wherever you go. Some celebrities really don't care, and they like to go out dressed in their best sweatsuit, leave their hair a mess, and not put on any makeup. They then get photographed and suddenly the whole world criticizes them for looking like they just rolled out of bed. Even if they do dress up a bit, some celebrities ignore the cameras and go about their tasks. This can also backfire because the paparazzi will choose to release the stupidest picture of these people, like when they're stuffing their face with a piece of pizza, or they are in mid-yawn.

So I made a vow to myself that when I became famous I was never going to let the paparazzi take a terrible picture of me. I mean regardless of what I was doing, the picture would still look great...but I didn't ever want them to take a picture of me that did not portray my full potential. So I always go out in public like I'm dressed to go to a club or something, and I never ignore the cameras. Mostly because I just simply _cannot_ ignore the cameras. I'm drawn to them like a fish is to water. I'm addicted to being photographed.

Is it bad or good that I chose to be addicted to things such as going to school, acting, certain cities, picking on people, being famous, and getting my picture taken...instead of being addicted to drugs or alcohol? I almost think I'm more crazy for being addicted to the things I really am addicted to. Man I would be one messed up drunk person.

I walked into the airport and was greeted with a thousand different flashes of light. I instantly plastered a smile on my face and started looking in different directions so that the cameras could catch my best angle. Not that I have a bad angle, but I thought I'd provide them with a bit of variety.

They were shouting all sorts of questions at me, most of them pertaining to Rosalie. You see she had decided to be a huge pain in my butt by going around and letting everyone know that we were having some relationship issues at the moment. Thanks to her and her huge mouth, once people caught word of my return back to LA for Thanksgiving, I got phone calls from a whole bunch of TV shows and magazines wanting to interview me. That sort of disgusted me, because I was hoping to spend my vacation with my family, but now I almost had to make a few appearances. So I had a couple interviews for various different TV shows and magazines to do over break, and I was going to film a couple episodes for my TV show so that they could wrap up it's season while I was back in Phoenix filming my reality show.

I would have remained standing in front of the crowd of flashing cameras for hours if I could have. I missed that sort of a rush so much. People everywhere were calling out my name, and the lights were blinding my eyes. This would drive most people insane, but I loved it.

After a few more minutes I opted to make my exit, and my security guards quickly ushered me into a waiting limo. We were followed by a few hopeful people with cameras who thought that they could outrun the limo. While I sat in the very back seat surrounded on both sides by a huge freaking body guard, I glanced out the window at all of the houses we passed.

I lived in a pretty prestigious neighborhood that wasn't too far from the airport. The community I lived in had mostly famous residents. For example Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie live three houses down from me. One of my best friends Leonardo Dicaprio basically lives across the street. It's simply a neighborhood filled with famous people.

The house that I lived in was nothing short of amazing. It was a five-floor mansion with a huge fenced in backyard. It only cost a mere $26.2 million, but it's still the most expensive house in the world. I couldn't settle for anything less.

The bottom floor in sort of like a community floor. It has the kitchen, the dinning room, and the main living area. Gazpacho, my security guards, and the few maids and butlers we have also have their own rooms on the bottom floor.

Emmett gets the whole second floor. In addition to his bedroom, which contains a swimming pool in the middle of his bathroom...his floor also has the bowling alley, a club/party room, and a gym.

The third floor belongs to Alice. Her room is pretty big, and she has her own balcony so that she can overlook the garden area that surrounds the pool outside. She also has one room that is solely for her closet space. She stores all of her clothes, shoes, jewelry, and other fashion accessories in that room. The main ballroom is on Alice's floor also. Alice has an office on her floor as well, which is where she keeps all of her pictures from photo shoots she's participated in. Once she graduates high school she hopes to become a model. Since Jasper does a lot of modeling himself, he's helping her get there.

My parents got the fourth floor. They have a bedroom and various other little rooms on their floor. My dad got a huge office and a library to put all of his books in. My mom has a little craft room where she works on sewing and scarp booking and motherly stuff like that. I was the one that decided who would get what floor, and I could tell that my mom would be very upset if she wasn't on the floor closet to me. So I _had_ to fulfill her wish.

I obviously got the top floor of the house all to myself. There were a bunch of different rooms on my floor of the house as well. I had an office of my own, where I sorted through various scripts and kept files of things I needed. I had another room where I stored tapes of everything I had ever been in, whether it be a movie, TV show, or commercial. I also took the liberty of including a recording studio/mini-set on my floor. That way if I ever wanted to film a commercial or message to the public, I could do so from my own home. The movie theater was also located on my floor, and you could frequently find my mom in there watching Love to Hate You in the late hours of the night.

My bedroom was freaking fantastic, I'm not even acting. My mattress for my bed is like ten times the size of a regular mattress. I don't even know why I need that much space to sleep, but it's nice to brag about. That mattress is so freaking comfortable too. It's made out of that memory foam crap...dang it's like you're sleeping on air. I have a gigantic flat screen television that hangs on the wall in front of my bed. I also have my own personal kitchen area in my room, plus a nice sized closest, and a master bathroom. My bathroom has like five sinks in it, two toilets, three different showers, a couple bathtubs, a few jacuzzi tubs, and of course its own flat screen TV.

It was certainly a lot more extravagant of a house than our three floor $5.8 million home in Phoenix. The Cullen family has upgraded!

Don't get me wrong, it's amazing that I live in a house larger than a shopping mall. But in all truth it really doesn't matter to me that much. I could live in a cardboard box for all I care. As long as I am with my family, it really doesn't matter where we live.

But since I am such a fantastic actor and I am able to afford an expensive house all on my own...why not go to the extreme? If you got it, flaunt it.

Finally I was able to look out the window and see the prestigious looking mansion, tucked away behind the tall fence and shrubs.

Ladies and gentlemen, _Edward Cullen_ has returned to his home turf.

* * *

The day after Thanksgiving Emmett and I were exhausted. Alice had made the decision to wake us up at three in the morning and make us go Black Friday shopping with her. When I proceeded to explain my displeasure for this outing, Alice reminded me of all the times I have woke her up to read off lines to her. I had merely groaned and walked into the bathroom to take a shower in an effort to wake myself up.

It was a little after noon now, and the three of us kids were all sitting around in the living room downstairs. I was laying on one of the couches trying to take a nap, but Alice's constant yapping prevented me from doing so.

Jasper had went shopping with us as well. In fact he almost seemed as excited about shopping as Alice did. If he wasn't dating my sister I'd swear that guy was gay.

But Jasper was awesome, he was a lot more fun to hang out with than his sister, that's for sure.

"Where did you say Rosalie was at Edward?" Alice asked me.

"Hm?" I replied, shaking my head in order to try and clear some of the sleepiness out of it.

"Where is Rosalie?" She repeated.

"Oh, she um...went to London for a...photo shoot or something."

"A photo shoot?" A familiar voice asked, and we turned around to see Jasper enter the room.

"Is she not in London for a photo shoot?" I asked him, sitting up and running my hands through my hair.

"She's not even in London." Jasper replied, taking a seat beside Alice. "She's in Hawaii."

"What the heck is she doing in Hawaii?" I asked, already finding myself disgusted with this situation.

"Hawaiian guys." Jasper said, shrugging his shoulders. "I dunno. She just told me that she was going to spend this Thanksgiving in Hawaii."

"Why didn't she tell me?" Emmett chimed in. "I could have went with her and kept her company."

Despite the fact I was very aggravated at that moment, I still laughed at Emmett's stupidity. "Emmett I don't really think Rosalie would have agreed to you joining her on her trip."

"Yeah she would have. I could have sang sweet love songs to her the whole flight there."

"And that is probably why she wouldn't have wanted you to go with her."

"She loves me, I know she does." He said, grinning at the thought my girlfriend.

"Think whatever you want Emmett." Alice fake encouraged, as she laughed slightly.

"Why does she have to do this kind of crap?" I asked, not really directed toward anyone in particular.

"What kind of crap?" Jasper said.

"Why does she have to say she's doing one thing, but then she goes off and does another? Why can't she just say...hey Edward I'm going to Hawaii to sleep with hot surfer guys!"

"Maybe the guys she's sleeping with aren't surfers." Jasper responded.

I laughed at him. "Nice one Jazz, but that's not helping me out much."

"Sorry dude, I can't help my sister likes to make her way around the block."

"Or the world." I mumbled, leaning back on the couch.

"See if you'd just go ahead and date Bella you wouldn't have this problem." Alice said, smiling at me.

"What? Alice are you crazy?" I asked her. Alice was _always_ trying to persuade me into dating Bella.

"I might be, but I know that you and Bella would be perfect together."

"Alice we'd freaking kill each other. How in the world would we ever be able to date?"

She shrugged. "I don't know...I'm sure it can be done."

"I'm with Rosalie." I stated. "And for now, that's not changing."

"For now?" Emmett asked hopefully.

"There may be a breakup at some point in the future if she continues acting the way she has been here recently."

"So she can be mine?"

"Emmett if you can win her over, yes by all means she can be yours."

"You won't care?"

"I'd be the best man in your freaking wedding."

"Awesome!!!!" Emmett said, starring off into space. "I'm getting married to a hot chick."

"That's as deep as it gets everyone." Alice chimed, and we all laughed.

"Don't you kids have things that you could be doing?" Someone said, and I turned around to notice that my father had entered the room.

"Hi daddy!" Alice called to him. She's such a little suck up. Jeez and they call me a mommy's boy.

"Hello Alice dear." My dad said to her as he walked up behind the couch I was sitting on. "Don't you have a book report due after break?"

"Yeah." Alice said, looking like she suddenly remembered this fact.

"Shouldn't you be working on it in this free time you have?"

"It's almost finished." She lied. She was pretty bad at it too, doesn't she know I'm the only one that can make lies believable in this family? Well I guess I don't lie, I act...so I'm the only one in this family that can make the false seem true.

My dad didn't seem satisfied with her response, but he turned to me instead. "Edward your mother told me that you have a writing assignment due before Christmas...how is that coming along?"

"I'm done." I answered, and I was actually telling the truth.

You see after that day I went to the auditorium to search for inspiration, something hit me. It didn't take a very long time for me to finish the assignment. I finally had an idea about how to connect myself to my paper, and I was quite proud of what I had produced from my idea. I'm sure that I didn't write the best paper in the class, but it's certainly the best paper I've ever wrote. The mood and all actually wasn't that hard to get into once I had the connection thing all figured out. I hoped that I would at least get a B on it, but that was setting my expectations high.

"Didn't you already write one paper?"

"Yeah I wrote one but the teacher didn't really approve of it."

"Why not?" My father asked.

"It lacked connection."

He actually laughed at my comment. "Your writing lacks connection?"

"Yep, that's the main reason why I can't write very well. I just can't connect myself to what I'm writing about."

"I find that very hard to believe."

"That's what Miss Lovely said too."

"Because you're..."

"I know because I'm so beyond full of myself you'd think I'd be able to connect with my own writing." I finished for him.

He laughed again. "Well now that you've wrote a second paper...have you done it the right way?"

"I think so." I said stretching my arms above my head.

"Very well then." My father said, looking over at Emmett. "Emmett is there anything you could be doing right now?"

"Besides fantasizing Rosalie and I on our honeymoon?"

My dad didn't even seemed affected by Emmett's response. You get used to Emmett after a while. "Sure."

"Nope!" Emmett exclaimed, before he sighed and closed his eyes.

"Alright then." My dad said, walking back over to Alice and patting her on the head. "Finish that book report sweetheart."

"But daddy!" She whined as he walked away. "How did you know?"

"It's so easy to tell when my own children are lying." He responded.

Alice pointed to me. "What about him?"

My dad looked over at me. "I just always assume that he's lying and leave it at that."

"Not lying dad!" I called as he proceeded to walk away from us.

"What do you call it then?" Alice asked me.

I smiled as I stood up and walked over to where she was sitting. "Acting my dear sister, just acting."

"I hate you and your ego and your stupid acting!" She yelled, and I merely laughed at her as I ran up the main staircase.

"Ah but you see, I love it."

"You're a moron Edward Cullen!"

"Please Alice." I said, leaning over the balcony railing. "I finally get away from Phoenix and one girl that calls me a moron, only to come here and be called a moron as well."

"Well it's true!"She said. "And besides, you don't really care."

"Don't really care about what?"

"You don't really care that Bella calls you a moron."

"And why is that?"

"Because you _love_ her." She said in a sing-songy voice.

I laughed. "Alice, you are such a silly, silly little girl."

"I'm not a little girl and you know I'm telling the truth!"

"What's that? I think the elevator just arrived!" I said, pointing off in the distance before I ran off to the side.

"Liar!" I heard her call after me as I ran.

Obviously, the elevator really hadn't arrived. I just like to come up with excuses to get out of situations I don't want to deal with.

Not that I couldn't have handled the situation I was in just a moment ago, that was totally within my control.

I can handle anything I want to...I mean I am the world's greatest actor.

I leaned against the wall in an effort to look sexy as I pressed the button to call the elevator. Of course I guess my effort to look sexy wasn't really an effort, I am sexy. I would look sexy rather I leaned against the wall, stood beside it, or suction-cupped myself to it. I'm just naturally sexy. However I didn't really understand why I was trying to look extra sexy, because there wasn't anyone around.

I'm crazy, I swear I am.

People that act like this should be taking some type of medication or something. So why wasn't I?

I laughed at my own thought as the elevator doors opened. I stepped inside and hit the button that would take me to the fifth floor.

It now made perfect sense why I could be so far beyond crazy yet not be on medication.

It's because I'm pretty much a big deal.

* * *

**What did you guys think about Edward's POV? Sadly that is going to be the only chapter in his POV for this story. But I still hope that you liked it! The next chapter we are going to return back to Phoenix and the story will be in Bella's POV once more. **

**Just to give you a little preview of what's coming, there is going to be some stuff going on in the next chapter within Miss Lovely's class...so expect Natasha blonde moments, Haley craziness, Kyle sleeping, Brandon's jealously, and Denver's randomness. In the second portion of that chapter, there's going to be a little bit of an Edward/Bella flirtatious moment. Which I'm sure you will all approve of that. ;)**

**WASHING MACHINES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (This is yet another message from my sister. I took her a while to come up with this one...lol)  
**

**Thanks for reading!**

**~Hazl~  
**


	17. Chapter 17

**Guys I am so sorry for not updating sooner! I have had writer's block like mad these past few weeks, and it has been very frustrating. I have really wanted to sit down and write something, but I just couldn't come up with anything. I had to type this chapter in pieces over several days, because my writer's block is that bad. I hope it goes away soon, because there is so much interesting stuff that's about to happen in this story!**

**Haha when I told you all that you were getting a chapter in Edward's POV, shouldn't you have expected it to be full of thoughts about himself? :) What else does Edward think about? Lol, but I was actually quite surprised you guys were becoming disgusted with his ego in the last chapter. Well I guess I wouldn't say surprised, if I knew someone like that I would probably be pretty angry with him too. But I do have my reasons for making the last chapter so full of Edward's ego...I'm not going to tell you what those reasons are though. *Insert evil laugh here* Lol. You'll find out later.  
**

**Seriously, a lot of things in this story will all start to click into place and make a lot more sense within the next couple of chapters. Actually, things will really start to make sense after the next chapter...not this one...but the one following it. After that chapter I'll provide a little explanation at the bottom so you guys can see what I've done here.**

**I'm super stoked for these last few chapters. There are only nine more chapters left to go in the story, but they are all incredibly important. These next couple of chapters coming up here very shortly are so important, I _cannot_ wait to get them posted! You guys are really not going to expect what is to come. **

**But enough of that...I don't want to kill it and give everything away!  
**

**Anyway, here is the chapter in Miss Lovely's class/the Edward Bella flirtatious moment I promised. ;)  
**

* * *

**Chapter 17**

_Bella's POV_

The time period after Thanksgiving seemed to fly at an incredible pace. Before you could blink, it was the week before Christmas break. Since it was the week before Christmas break, our papers for Miss Lovely's class were due. All week she had students come up to the front of the class and read their papers. She only picked students with extremely good papers to read them in front of the class. On Monday, Natasha read her research paper on animal abuse. Natasha did a fantastic job at presenting it, as always. Denver was surprisingly selected to read his paper to the class on Tuesday. It was about the time he broke his leg in junior high, and he couldn't play football. It was actually pretty good, since it incorporated both physical and emotional pain all into one paper.

Brandon read his paper on Wednesday, and even though his paper was supposed to be dark, it took everything the class had in them to keep themselves from laughing. Brandon wrote about how he desperately wanted to be with a girl he knew he'd never get. His paper also tended to revolve around the emotion of jealousy, and how some hot-shot guy was stealing the love of his life from him. I wanted to laugh at his paper along with the majority of the class, but I actually felt more embarrassed than humored. Edward seemed to feel the same as me, because he rarely ever glanced up at Brandon as he read.

It was Thursday and I had just sat down at my desk in Miss Lovely's room. Denver and Kyle were tossing a paper airplane back and forth as they shared their plans for Christmas break. Edward walked in shortly after me and sat in his own respective seat.

"I wonder who's going to call me a woman stealer today." Edward joked, looking at me.

I laughed. "I dunno Edward, maybe Kyle will read his paper this afternoon, and he'll just so happen to be deeply in love with me."

"Kyle read his paper? I don't think that guy could produce a piece of writing that would be worth reading this week."

"I'm sure his paper is better than yours." I said, smiling at him. Even though I no longer had any reason to hate Edward, it was still _so_ much fun to insult him.

Edward laughed. "You're probably right Bella."

"I know I'm right."

"I'm sort of surprised she hasn't made you go up there and read off your paper yet." He said.

"Well I'm not. I wasn't extremely confident in it anyway."

"Why aren't you confident in your writing?"

"I'm confident in my writing most of the time, but concerning this paper...I have no confidence about it at all."

"Why is that?"

"I had a lot of trouble writing in that kind of mood."

"Really? You actually had trouble writing something?"

"The mood was just so hard to work with. Miss Lovely's right...it isn't any fun to write about something sad and depressing."

"Ha, you certainly have that one right." He said, glancing toward the front of the room as Miss Lovely walked in. "But I bet your paper is still amazing regardless."

"I wouldn't be so sure if I were you." I said, looking back at Haley, who was furiously erasing at a drawing she had scribbled in her notebook.

"Not much success there Haley?" I asked her.

"No." She answered simply, before she threw her pencil down. "Ugh! I cannot sketch anything that satisfies the feather master."

"Haley dear, it's not good to abuse illegal drugs." Natasha joked, causing me to laugh a little.

"Maybe I should have wrote my paper about that." Haley said, drawing a new line on her paper.

"About drug abuse...that's actually a good idea Haley." I said.

"No not about drug abuse..about how I cannot please the feather master you stupid cockatoo!"

"What the heck did she just call you?" Denver asked, looking from Haley to me.

"Not what you thought she called me Denver. A cockatoo is a type of bird."

"Oh sorry, my bad." He said, continuing his paper plane toss with Kyle.

"I am so glad I broke up with that crazy baboon." Natasha said, twirling her hair with her pencil.

"You guys broke up?" I asked her. "Since when?"

"Since like last week...I didn't tell you that?"

"No I don't recall you telling me that you and Denver had broke up."

"She told Haley!" Haley exclaimed.

"You told Haley but you didn't tell me?" I asked.

"Must have slipped my mind I guess."

"Why did you break up with him?"

"Well Bella, you and I both know that Denver does not fit _the list_."

"No I guess he wouldn't, would he?"

"He only fits one of the regulations."

"And which one is that?"

"He's a hunk."

I looked over at Denver, who was still tossing the paper airplane to Kyle. "Ah, not really."

"Well that's because you're comparing him to Eddiekins." Haley said, which caught Edward's attention.

"What?" He asked, turning around to look at us.

"Nothing." I said to him, as he shook his head and turned around. I gently smacked Haley on the arm.

"Bella you crazy parakeet! Why must we hit me?"

"Why must we use animal names as means to describe people?" Edward pointed out, obviously not seeming pleased with Haley's outbursts.

I laughed at him. "Ah sweet, sweet chaos."

"You think it's chaotic in here?" Haley asked me.

"Nope, not at all." Edward whispered under his breath as he sunk down into his seat.

I laughed at him again, but didn't get the chance to answer Haley because Miss Lovely started speaking.

"Good afternoon class." She said.

"Good afternoon Miss Extremely Lovely." Denver said, finally sitting down.

Miss Lovely smiled at Denver. "How are you doing Denver?"

"Ah ok. I'd be better if I had someone to go on a date with Saturday night, but _no_." He said, glancing over at Natasha.

"I sense some ill will toward Natasha. Am I correct?"

"Yeah she sort of broke up with me."

"Really...why?"

"I don't fit the regulations on her stupid list."

"Denver dear, I told you at the beginning of our relationship that it wasn't going to last. You're just not my hunky Harvard guy."

"Why do I have to be some smarty-pants to date you?"

Natasha squealed in disgust. "Because it matters to me, that's why!"

"Alright, I'm sorry I asked." Miss Lovely said, trying to prevent World War Three from occurring.

"Will you go out with me on Saturday Miss Lovely?" Denver asked, smiling at her.

She ignored his question. "So today I'm going to have another student come up and read their paper in front of the class."

"Time to sleep." Kyle declared, resting his head on his desk.

"Now the paper you are going to hear today is very good. I really enjoyed reading it, and I believe that the person who wrote this paper was extremely creative, and really thought this assignment through."

"Hey guys." Denver said, turning to the class to catch their attention. "Wouldn't it be hysterical if she actually picked Cullen to read his paper?"

Almost everyone in the class laughed, except for Edward and I.

"Why would that be so hysterical Denver?" Edward asked, not seeming very pleased with him.

"Because you can't write."

"Yes, I usually cannot write...but don't you think maybe this time is a slight exception?"

"Don't you have trouble connecting yourself to your writing?"

"I do."

"Then how in the world could you write about this kind of stuff?"

"What do you mean?"

"You have the greatest life out of any person in the whole world...how can you write about how your life sucks?"

"Maybe something emotionally painful has happened to Edward before." I spit out, not knowing why I was actually defending him.

Everyone seemed just as shocked as I was, including Edward, that I actually stood up for him.

"Did you just say that Bella?" Edward asked, turning back to look at me.

"Yeah, I did." I said, looking at him before focusing my attention on Denver. "I mean how many of us really know who he is? We just assume things about his life because of the way he acts when he's around us. No one ever really cares to look beyond that. Maybe there is something dark about Edward."

"I think someone's been smoking something on that side of the room." Denver said, pointing in my direction.

"Alright enough of this debate." Miss Lovely said, taking a paper off of her desk.

"We were debating? And I missed it?" Natasha asked worriedly.

"It wasn't an actual debate Natasha." I said.

"Pumpernickel!" Haley shouted, erasing something on her paper frantically.

"What?" Edward asked, looking at me for an explanation.

"No idea what that was about."

"Now as I was saying." Miss Lovely said, walking over to our side of the room. "The paper you are about to hear is an amazing piece of writing. I think it will give you guys a little bit of insight into something you may not all be extremely familiar with."

"It's going to be your paper." Edward whispered to me.

"Why do you think it's going to be my paper?"

"She called it amazing...why wouldn't it be yours? Do you really think Kyle wrote a paper that could be classified as amazing?"

I looked over at Kyle, who was already fast asleep. "Probably not."

"It's your paper." He said, and just as he finished speaking, Miss Lovely stepped forward and handed the paper she was holding to me.

"Bella would you please read your assignment to the rest of the class?" She asked.

"Sure thing." I said as I got up and made my way to the front of the room. Haley and Natasha cheered for me while Edward merely shook his head and laughed.

I shifted my weight from side to side, trying to find a comfortable position to stand in. Speaking in front of people generally made me nervous, and this time was no exception. I could already feel my knees shaking slightly, and my face felt hot, so I assumed I was blushing as well.

After clearing my throat, I allowed myself one glance up at everyone before my eyes officially glued themselves to my paper. I took a deep breath and pushed a stray piece of hair behind my ear before I started to read.

_The girl finished filling the third and final teacup with "tea" and stood back to admire her handiwork. Everything was ready for her weekly tea party. The dishes were clean, the table was set, and the food had been served. She was even dressed for the occasion. She wore a fancy hat with a flower on the side, and a long string of pink pearls. It was her finest attire. She took her respective seat and waited for her guests to arrive, clicking together the heels of the dress-up shoes she got for Christmas._

_She was quite a good hostess, the little girl. She had always wanted a tea set, and she finally got one for her fifth birthday. It was the most beautiful tea set ever. The cups and the saucers were all decorated with a pretty flowered pattern. Sometimes the girl would even have actual food at her tea parties, but other times, she would just play pretend. Which was quite alright with her, she didn't mind playing pretend._

_The girl was becoming quite aggravated with her guests, hadn't she told them to show up at two? It was now five minutes past, and she was starting to wonder where they were. Just as she was getting ready to fix the napkin on the place setting closest to her, she heard loud voices screaming at one another downstairs._

_The voices belonged to her parents, the guests to her tea party...who still hadn't shown. The girl whimpered in fear and closed her eyes, hoping it would make the yelling stop. It didn't...in fact it only got louder. Her parents did this a lot, and it made the girl sad. The girl could remember hearing her parents yell at one another just shortly after she turned five. They'd usually wait until she was up in her room, assuming she was fast asleep. Sometimes she would be, but at other times, their voices got so loud it woke her up. She never really understood some of the things they talked about, but she just knew that they were both angry and upset. One time she even went downstairs, just to see if everything was ok, and she saw her mommy crying. She didn't understand why her daddy would yell so loud and make her mommy cry._

_Her daddy hadn't been around much anymore. And if he ever was around, then her mommy would be gone. They were rarely together anymore. There were many nights when she'd have a tea party with just her mom, or just her dad. Her daddy would even wear her other string of pink pearls, and the same hat her mommy usually wore. They both seemed happy then. But she had yet to succeed at getting both of them to join her for tea at the same time. _

_When the two of them were with each other, all they did was yell. They'd shout nasty sounding words at one another, and their voices would never grow quiet. The girl heard her name mentioned a lot too, making her think they were mad at her sometimes. Her parents talked about a lot of things she didn't know, like some word starting with a "d." But what she couldn't understand is why they had so much to fight about. They always told her to get along with others. Why were they so mean to each other?_

_After waiting for thirty minutes, the girl sighed and started to clean up the dishes in her little play kitchen. Her parents got it for her birthday last year. They were both so happy then...they smiled and laughed. Now her parents rarely smiled anymore, at least not when they were together._

_The loud voices of her continuously arguing parents could still be heard from her upstairs bedroom. Things seemed to be dying down a bit, and the girl wondered if maybe she should reset the table. Just as she was getting ready to take the cups back over to the table her parents started yelling at one another even louder than before. The girl burst into tears and flung herself onto her bed. She cried into her pillow, hugging her teddy bear tight to her body. Her parents continued to yell and scream at each other until final a loud "slam" was heard, and it sounded like the front door closing. The girl sniffed and wiped her eyes with her tiny hands._

_Why did this keep happening? Why couldn't her parents just be happy again, and why were they angry all the time? She just wanted her happy family back. She wanted to sit down to dinner with her mom and dad. She wanted to come home to both her mom and dad after school. She wanted to see their smiling faces and listen to them tell her that they loved her, and loved each other. She wanted happiness, she wanted quiet nights, she wanted peace._

_She just didn't understand any of it at all. The only thing she understood was that her parents were sad and upset, and so was she._

_As the girl grew older, she learned the meaning of the word starting with a "d." That word she heard so many times was the word divorce. She found out it meant that her parents were not married any more, they were not husband and wife. Her mommy was still her mommy and her daddy was still her daddy...but they weren't in love any more. Her daddy lived somewhere else, in a different city, far away. Her mommy stayed with her, but every now and then her daddy would come stay with her, and her mommy would leave town for a few days. Sometimes the girl would go stay with her daddy at his house, but not for very long._

_They had always argued because they couldn't get along. There were many problems with their relationship, and they couldn't work them out. They started yelling at each other because they just couldn't be nice to one another anymore. They assured the girl this wasn't her fault...they just didn't love each other anymore, and they were angry with each other, not her._

_In a few more years time, the girl had two mommies and two daddies Her mommy and daddy both remarried other people, and they seemed nice...but the girl never warmed up to them. Even though this new man didn't yell at her mommy, and the new woman didn't yell at her daddy...she still didn't like it. She wanted her parents to be together, to be happy again. She wanted to be able to celebrate the holidays with both of them in the same house, not in two different ones. She just wanted things to be right._

_Once she went on to high school, the girl found it hard to trust boys. So many boys asked her on dates, asked her to dances, and asked her to be their girlfriend. But she couldn't trust them. She'd always say "no"...because she feared the same thing her parents went through. She feared messing up a relationship. She feared falling out of love with someone she married. She feared that she would yell at her husband. She feared that her husband would yell at her. But most of all, she feared that a little girl upstairs would hear the yelling, and would cry herself to sleep for the thousandth time that month._

_The story you just heard was a work of fiction, but it is based on something so incredibly real. Many children these days are the offspring of broken homes. Their parents are separated, divorced, or constantly at odds with one another. Some kids have never even known their mother or their father, because they left them before they were even born. Some children have step-parents, and although they love them...they never truly replace their other parent. _

_Divorce can have a terrible effect on a child, regardless of their age. It doesn't matter if they are five, fifteen, or fifty. Seeing your parents go through such a horrible process can take a strain on your life._

_I know about this first hand, because my parents are divorced. My mom and dad married one another at a young age, and took things way too fast. By the time I came along, my mother wanted to get out of the town that she lived in with my dad. She hated it there, and she wished to be somewhere sunny. She wanted to be adventurous, and do things a person her age should be doing. Not staying at home with a little baby and cooking super for a small town's chief of police. My parents would fight a lot too, and they were rarely able to get along._

_Finally, one night...my mom gathered up her stuff, took me...and left my dad. She brought me to Phoenix, the only place I ever really remember living. Now she is remarried, and she's finally happy with her life. My dad is content too, although he never stopped loving my mom. For the two of them, everything worked out for the best. But does anyone ever think about me? No, no one does._

_Even though I was merely an infant when my mom left my dad, their divorce still continues to effect me every second of every day. I rarely ever see my dad because he's in a completely different state. He's missed out on important events in my life, like the day I took my first steps, my kindergarten graduation, and my sixteenth birthday. I've spent most of my life living with only my mom, and since she used to spend a lot of time working, I'd frequently come home from school to find an empty house. My parents do get along now, and they can have a conversation without yelling at one another. My dad and step-dad even get a long when they're around each other. But I look at my parents standing there, and I wonder...why couldn't you have handled it? I look and them and wonder why they didn't simply try to talk things through, be rational, and work things out. I also look at them and wonder if they ever look at me, and think about what their actions have done to me. I doubt they have._

_The pain of my parent's divorce is not something time can easily erase. It's also not something that time is ever going to help me understand. There are so many things I wonder and think about regrading their separation. But in the end, it all comes down to one simple fact. I can't do anything about it. I was only a baby when my mom decided to leave my dad. I had no say in whether or not they stayed together, which parent I wanted to live with, and whether or not I wanted them to remarry. Which of course is a common thing...since divorce seems to effect the children the most. Yet they never actually make the decision that changes their lives forever.  
_

I took my eyes off of my paper and finally looked up at the class, who was starring at me with looks of pure awe on their faces.

"That was an amazing paper Bella. Very well-written." Miss Lovely said, smiling at me.

"Thank you." I responded, looking back down at my paper again.

"I think she deserves a round of applause...don't you class?"

Everyone clapped for me in response to her question.

"Woo! Love you Bella!" Haley called to me.

"Love you too Haley." I said, looking up again and trying to avoid Edward's gaze.

"Is there anything that you guys would like to say about Bella's assignment?" Miss Lovely asked the class.

"I thought it was a fantastic piece of writing, that put the aspects of divorce into a new perspective for kids and adults alike." Natasha said, offering me a sweet smile.

"I'll certainly agree with that." Miss Lovely said, pointing to Brandon who had his hand raised. "Yes Brandon?"

"Bella's paper was beautifully written, and I don't believe that any one else in the class, or the world for that matter, could have taken such a dark topic and made it into as extraordinary of a work as she did."

Denver snorted in response to Brandon. "Oh please dude, that's not going to make her go out with you."

Everyone in the class laughed, including me.

"It was worth a shot." Brandon muttered, his eyes drifting down to the floor.

Miss Lovely had to recover from her own burst of laughter before she spoke again. "Anybody else have anything to say?"

No one responded to her question, which didn't seem to satisfy her.

"Edward how about you?" She asked, catching him off guard.

"What?"

"Do you have something to say about Bella's paper?"

Edward looked up at me. "I think that she did an incredible job at writing in the mood and bringing out the true darkness in something that really is quite sad in our society. It was an amazing paper, but knowing how good Bella is at writing...I guess I didn't expect anything less."

I found myself smiling at him, and much to my surprise he smiled back.

"Very nice Edward...well put." Miss Lovely said, just as the bell rang. "Ok everyone, have a wonderful afternoon! Oh, and don't forget...one last student is going to read their paper to the class tomorrow!"

Edward took the books off of my desk and handed them to me. "There you go."

"Thanks." I said, shoving my paper in between the pages of one of my books.

"Not a problem." He responded, holding the door open for me as I stepped out into the hall.

I wondered why he was suddenly being so nice to me today. Maybe it was because I actually defended him during class. Regardless of the reason, for once in my life...I could say that I wasn't tired of being around him. I tried to think of something I could invite him to do with me that afternoon, but I wasn't coming up with anything creative.

"Hey Edward, are you doing anything tonight?"

"Nothing in particular...why are you asking?"

"Do you want to come over to my house and have dinner?" I asked, shutting my locker door. "Mom and Phil aren't home...but I can make pasta or something."

"Hmm...that sounds good. Pasta or something." He said, laughing.

I nudged him playfully. "Shut up."

"Sorry shutting up isn't something I'm capable of."

"Well I knew that."

He shook his head and laughed again. "Ok Bella, I'll come over to your place for dinner...happy now?"

"Ecstatic."

"Wow, I think this is the first time you've ever actually asked me to come over to your house. Are you feeling ok?" He asked, resting his hand on my forehead as if he was checking my temperature.

I laughed. "I'm fine, thanks."

"Then why do you actually want me at your house?"

"Thought you'd like to see Paix, that's all." I said, shrugging my shoulders.

"No I don't think that's what you want."

"What do you think I want Edward?"

He slowly slid on his sunglasses and gestured toward himself. "You know that this is what you really want."

I laughed at him. "Yeah Edward, in your dreams."

"I'll be counting on that." He said to me as he made his way over to his car.

"Dinner will be ready around six, you can come a little earlier if you want."

"Alright!" He called, before getting into his car. I stopped at my truck and pulled the tailgate down so I could organize some of my things. While I was in the midst of putting my books back into my bag, I heard a car horn honking at me, and turned around to see Edward in his Volvo, driving quickly past me.

"Voir-vous ce soir mon amour!" He shouted to me, before his car disappeared out of the parking lot.

I laughed at him as he drove away, only to turn around and see that Brandon was standing at his car right beside me.

"What the _heck_ did he just say?" Brandon asked, me...automatically assuming he wouldn't like whatever it was that Edward said.

"I'm not quite sure. I think he was speaking French. He does that sometimes to tick me off, I never understand him."

"Ok then." He said, seeming satisfied for the moment. "As long as it wasn't some Shakespearean love crap."

I simply smiled in response as I climbed up into the driver's seat of my truck. Only once Brandon had pulled out of the parking lot, did I allow myself to laugh.

I knew good and well what Edward had just said to me.

I had been studying my French.

* * *

Even though I knew Edward was coming over, I didn't bother to dress up much. I figured that since he came into my house so many times when I looked like crap first thing in the morning, if I was wearing jeans and a tank top it wouldn't be terrible.

I had decided to make fettuccine afredo and homemade garlic bread. I knew it probably wasn't anything fancy compared to the dinner Edward was used to eating, but I figured he could deal with it for one night. I was debating whether or not I should bake a cake as well, and was looking through different cake mixes when I heard the front door open. He didn't even bother to ring the doorbell or knock anymore, he just came in as he pleased. As you may assume, this proved to be slightly inconvenient at times.

"Hey Edward." I called to him, giving up on finding a cake that suited me. I came out into the living room to find that Edward had already made himself comfortable on the couch. I laughed at him.

"Why are you laughing at me?" He asked, as he moved over so I could sit down beside him.

"Nothing, it's just so funny how you walk into my house like you live here."

"I might as well." He said, turning on the TV and flipping through the channels.

"Is there something in particular you want to watch right now?" I asked him, looking toward the TV.

"Yeah..._me_." He responded, smiling as he selected a channel. "There we go, Love to Hate You."

I rolled my eyes at him. "Seriously...don't you ever get tired of watching yourself?"

"Not really no."

"So how long are you going to be staying in LA over Christmas break?" I asked, taking the remote out of his hand.

"Why are you asking? Do you want me out of here?"

"As soon as possible."

"Well that's nice Bella, thanks."

"You're extremely welcome."

"I don't feel so welcome right now."

"Oh will you just shut up already?"

He laughed. "Ok, to answer your question...I am leaving for LA Saturday morning, and I'm coming back on the twenty-eighth."

"Why are you coming back so soon?"

"I decided that I would like to throw a party on New Years Eve here in Phoenix...so I wanted to be here a few days ahead of time."

"Ah I see. Why do you want to throw a party here and not in LA?"

"I'm going to have the rest of my life to throw parties in LA. I don't have much longer to throw parties for all of my friends here in Phoenix."

"I guess you have a point."

"I know I have a point." He said, leaning back on the couch. "Oh and speaking of my party...you're invited."

"Haley and Natasha too?"

"The whole senior class."

"Sounds cool. I guess I'll be there if I don't have anything better to do." I teased.

"Yeah you won't have anything better to do."

"What makes you think I won't have anything better to do?"

"If _Edward Cullen_ is throwing a party...there's nowhere else you can go that tops it."

"In some people's opinion, perhaps."

He yawned and looked out the living room window before looking back at me. "I know I've already kind of said it, but that paper of yours was fantastic."

"Thanks." I said. "I don't really think so, but whatever."

"I just thought that you did a very good job writing it you know? You're good at that kind of stuff."

"Yeah and I like writing pretty well too, I just didn't like that assignment."

"Well I know you said that you didn't think that you had the hang of it, but I think you had a better grip on it than anyone else in the class has had so far."

I shrugged my shoulders. "I dunno. I guess it did sound a bit better once I read it out loud and kind of heard what it sounded like."

"I think rather it was read silently or out loud it still would have been an amazing paper."

"Thank you Edward. You've been really nice to me today...what gives?"

"I don't know. I must be coming down with the same thing you've got."

I remembered him asking me earlier if I was feeling alright. "Yes and what would that be?"

"The being nice disease."

"Oh wow, I hope it goes away soon."

"Yeah me too." He said, smiling at me. "Where did you get the idea for that paper anyway? You told me that you come up with it after we talked at the Halloween dance."

"Well we were talking about marriage and stuff remember?"

"Yeah I remember."

"And you were telling me how you thought that you'd never have a truly stable relationship. That made me think of my parent's divorce and I thought it would be a good topic to chose for the assignment."

"Ha, I wish it would have been that easy for me to find something to write about."

"You did finally find something to write about didn't you?"

He didn't answer me at first because he almost seemed zoned out, like he was in another world. "Yeah I found something to write about."

"Did you feel any more connection to your writing this time?"

"Yeah I felt quite a bit of connection to it this time...surprisingly."

"Well that's good." I said, offering him a sweet smile.

He laughed slightly. "So who do you think is going to read their paper tomorrow?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe Haley."

"Haley? Seriously? What did she write about?"

"She wrote about the death of Antonio."

"The hamster she used to have?"

"Yeah. It's actually a very said little story. Natasha teared up when Haley read it to the two of us."

"Well Natasha's one of the biggest animal lovers you'll find, of course she cried."

"I think Jasmine might have a pretty good paper too."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well I heard her over there talking about it, and it sounds like she wrote about the time she got her cell phone taken away for a month, and she couldn't text anyone forever."

"And how is that supposed to be dark and tragic?"

"Not quite sure, but Natasha proofread some of it for her and said it actually wasn't that bad."

"Great, I will really look forward to hearing about a girl's desire to get her cell phone back so that she can text her friends."

I laughed. "Maybe Miss Lovely will pick you to read your paper."

Edward laughed hysterically. "Yeah and _maybe_ Kyle will stop sleeping in class. Are you serious Bella?"

"Yes I'm serious."

He was still laughing. "There is no way in a million years that I will ever write anything good enough to be read in front of the class."

"You don't know that."

"Um yeah, I do."

"I think you could be a really good writer."

"Maybe I could be, but I'm just not sure if this paper will prove it to anyone."

"Do you feel confident in your paper?"

"Not totally...but I know it's probably the best writing assignment I've ever produced."

"Then maybe it's not so bad." I encouraged.

"Who knows." He said, sighing as he looked out the window again. Neither one of us said anything for a moment, when I suddenly felt Edward tackle me down on the couch.

"Edward what the heck are you doing?"

He laughed. "Holding you down so that you don't beat me with a tube of cinnamon rolls."

"I don't even have any cinnamon rolls you freaking moron!"

"Sure...you just want me to believe that you don't have any cinnamon rolls, and I'll just start to trust you when bam! You knock me out cold."

"Ugh Edward this is not funny." I said, struggling to get free from his grasp. A loud beeping noise sounded from the oven, indicating my garlic bread was done.

"Mmm, something smells good in here."

"Yeah it's my garlic bread, and if you don't let me up...it's gonna burn."

"No it's not." He said, getting closer to me now.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Debating whether or not I want to try and kiss you."

"May I ask why?"

"Haven't I already explained this before?"

"Yes you have...but that is a totally random thing to just decide."

"Perhaps it is."

"Edward can I please get up and get my garlic bread out of the oven before it burns?"

"Your precious garlic bread is going to be just fine."

"That oven is hotter than a freaking volcano...it is going to burn."

"Bella _I_ am hotter than a freaking volcano and you're not burning...are you?" He asked, smiling at me teasingly.

I couldn't help but laugh. "That's far beyond the point Edward."

"The garlic bread is fine."

"No the garlic bread is gonna burn."

"Not if I kiss you it won't."

"How is that going to keep the garlic bread from burning?"

"Well it won't...but at least it will distract you long enough to keep you from worrying about it."

"No it's not because you are going to let me up, and you're not going to kiss me."

"I'm sorry, that is the wrong answer." He said, moving even closer to me now.

I whined in protest. "Edward the garlic toast is going to burn, it's going to be harder than a rock, and then I'm going to beat you with it!"

"You can't do that."

"Oh I believe I can."

"No, the only thing you are legally allowed to beat me with is pastries."

"Fine, I'll find a doughnut or something and chuck it at your gorgeous face."

"Ah but you'll be too busy kissing my gorgeous face to want to throw doughnuts at it."

"No I won't." I said, still struggling to get free. "Edward let me go!"

"What would you do if I kissed you right now?" He asked, not giving in to my request.

"I would find something to beat you with, that's for certain."

"That isn't going to stop me." He said, his face just mere inches from mine now.

"Edward you moronic little butt head you. The garlic toast is going to burn if you don't get off of me right now."

"No it's not."

"Yes it is."

"Um no it's not."

"Um yes...it is."

"Not."

"Is."

"So not."

"It really is."

"I believe not."

"Is."

"Not." He barely whispered, his lips brushing against mine. I closed my eyes, unable to breathe properly anymore, let alone continue my argument with him. I leaned in to him, in hopes that this time would be different than all of the other times before. I prayed that our lips would meet in a kiss, and I hoped that nothing would mess it up this time.

My hopes however, were defeated as the smoke detector went off just as I was so close to kissing him. I groaned in protest and pushed Edward off of me, who was no longer holding me as tight. I ran into the kitchen and opened the oven door, only to discover that what had been my garlic bread only minutes before, was now a black dried hump of burnt bread.

Edward was standing in the kitchen archway when I turned around with the burnt garlic bread in my hands. Even though I was aggravated that it burnt, I wasn't mad at him. I was actually laughing a bit as I looked down at the bread pan.

"What do you have to say about this Edward Cullen?"

Edward simply laughed and shook his head. "Vous auriez dû me laisser essayer de vous embrasser plus tôt. Alors le pain d'ail n'aurait pas brûlé." He said before he laughed and walked back out into the living room.

"What did you just say?" I called to him, placing the pan of burnt garlic toast in the sink.

"Vous avez besoin d'étudier un peu plus de Français ma chère." He replied, which didn't answer my question at all...since I had no idea what he said that time either.

I gave up on trying to translate his sentences and began thinking about what I was going to do with that stupid garlic toast. Beating Edward with it didn't sound like such a bad idea after all.

Not a bad idea at all.

* * *

**What did you guys think of Bella's writing assignment? And how about that near kiss? I'm looking forward to what you have to say.**

**I'm gonna try my best to give you a little preview of the next chapter without totally describing what's going down. The next chapter is probably the second most important chapter in this story, and it's the most important chapter so far. The third most important chapter would have to be Chapter 15, and the first most important chapter hasn't happened yet. But this upcoming chapter is pretty huge.**

**This next chapter is also the most serious chapter for the whole story. It's going to be some pretty intense stuff.**

**Here's just a slight description of what's going to happen. The very beginning part of the chapter is going to be the only goofy/random part. It's more time in Miss Lovely's class, so expect the usual craziness. But that's all the funniness you're going to get. There won't really be any Edward/Bella flirtatious moments, but there will be Edward/Bella moments. The majority of the chapter is going to enter serious mode, like I mean extreme serious mode. Just as a warning now, don't be surprised if you cry....I may even cry as I'm writing it. **

**That's all I'm going to give away about the next chapter for now. Any guesses to what may happen? I'm not quite sure if you can figure this one out. It's sort of an unexpected event. It's not something incredibly obvious...so if you do want to take a guess...look beyond the obvious. :)  
**

**Thanks for reading!**

**~Hazl~  
**


	18. Chapter 18

**I'm glad you guys liked the last chapter so much! Thank you all for your lovely comments! **

**Here is the serious chapter I told you all about. I have really been looking forward to writing it!**

**I do want to suggest two things to you. One have a box of tissues nearby just in case you start crying. Two...have a French-English translator up...there's going to be a ton of French in this chapter. I'm sorry if it all doesn't translate smoothly...I'll be sure to clarify anything for you guys if you're puzzled.**

**This is a long one, so brace yourselves!  
**

**

* * *

****Chapter 18**

I sat down at my desk in Miss Lovely's class on Friday with Edward mere steps behind me. He'd been following me around most of the day, not uncharacteristic of him at all...but he was still being nice to me, which _certainly_ was odd.

For once Haley wasn't busy sketching in her notebook. She had hit a roadblock when it came to designs and she wanted to keep her mind free for a few days so she could design herself the perfect dress for Christmas.

I had no special plans for the holiday break. I was going to hang out with Haley and Natasha a lot, but other than that my time off wasn't going to be extremely fun. If I was looking forward to anything over break it was Edward's New Year's Eve party. I knew that was going to be interesting.

Everyone else seemed pretty stoked about getting out of school. Denver took the liberty of wearing a Santa hat in an effort to spread some Christmas cheer. Natasha baked gingerbread cookies for every person at school and served them at lunch. Kyle told his teachers that he'd stay awake for five minutes as a present to them. It seemed like everyone had their own way of celebrating.

"Well this is just fantastic." Denver said, walking into the room in a hurry as he gave Edward a quick high-five. "It's a good day...a great day at that, and now I get to come to this class and hear why someones life sucks."

Kyle and Brandon laughed at their leader's joke, and Edward even shook his head and laughed a bit.

"Denver I don't know about you but I'm learning a lot from these writing assignments. I don't see it as an incredibly depressing event, but rather an opportunity to experience uncomfortable emotions."

"No idea what you just said but alright...go Harvard girl." Denver said, fake applauding for her as he sat down. "Gonna stay awake for this class man?" He asked Kyle.

"Five minutes...that's all I'm giving." Kyle replied, seeming like this was a hard thing for him to do.

I rolled my eyes at their stupidity and called out to Miss Lovely, who was arranging some things at her desk. "What are you doing over break Miss Lovely?"

She looked up at me and smiled. "I'm going to Texas to spend time with my family."

"That's nice...you were born in Texas?"

"Yes I was." She said, smiling at me once more. "What are you doing over break Bella?"

"Hanging out with these two." I said, motioning back to Haley and Natasha.

"She's one lucky girl. Luckier than a bird that has extra featheriness." Haley chimed.

Miss Lovely laughed. "I'm sure she is Haley."

"Do we seriously have to listen to another paper today Miss Lovely?" Denver whined, hoping she'd say no.

"Why of course we do Denver. I certainly wouldn't want to keep you all from hearing the paper that is going to be presented today."

"This is the last one right?"

"It's the last one, yes."

"Fine. I guess I can deal with that."

"It's really not that bad dude." Edward said, turning around a bit to face him better.

"Easy for you to say, you're smart so you get into this kind of stuff."

"Isn't it better than reading Romeo and Juliet?"

"Oh gosh!" Denver exclaimed, seeming disgusted. "I hated that garbage."

"Romeo and Juliet is one of the finest pieces of literature ever produced! It's high quality stuff." Natasha said, acting defensive.

"Yep it sure was fine high-quality toilet paper." Denver joked, hoping to make Natasha mad. It worked.

"Alright." Miss Lovely said, once more preventing a fight between the two of them. "I am very excited about this next paper."

"How can you be excited about something depressing?" Denver asked, resting his feet up on Kyle's desk. Kyle pushed them off and rested his head on it instead, as usual.

"That's exactly why I'm excited about it Denver." She replied, which caused all of us to send her confused looks. "Let me explain."

"Please do, because I don't understand why something depressing is considered exciting." He said, pulling his Santa hat down over his eyes.

"I am excited about this paper because it is exactly that. This paper is sad and as Denver would like to say, quite depressing. The papers we have heard over the past several days have been remarkable but this one stands alone."

"Why is that?" I asked, leaning back in my seat as I started to chew on the end of my pencil.

"This paper has a darkness to it, and not just a hint of darkness, but a lot of it. I also think that you all will learn a lot from this paper, and I'm not joking when I say a lot."

"What will we learn?" Natasha asked, looking over at Denver and rolling her eyes at his antics.

"I think you will learn a lot about the person that wrote this paper. I know I did."

"Can we just get on with this already?" Denver whined once more.

Miss Lovely laughed slightly. "Alright, just one more thing. This is an extraordinary paper...I want you guys to pay close attention to it. Absorb in everything that it's saying and really try to get into it. You should be able to feel that darkness I'm talking about, and I'm sure you'll really admire the skill this person has allowed us all to witness through their writing." Miss Lovely looked over toward my side of the room once she finished speaking, and at first I thought she was going to hand the paper she was holding to Haley. But instead she stopped and placed the paper on Edward's desk.

"No way." He barely whispered, starring down at the paper she had set down in front of him.

The class all starred at Miss Lovely in shock, waiting to see if she was actually serious.

"Edward." Miss Lovely said, ignoring everyone else's shocked expressions. "Would you like to read your paper to the rest of the class?"

What Edward did after that was quite odd in the fact that he did absolutely_ nothing_. He just remained still right where he was, his eyes never leaving the paper on his desk.

"Cullen read his paper? Seriously?" Denver asked, breaking the silence.

"Edward's reading his paper?" Kyle exclaimed, lifting his head up. "I have got to stay awake for this!"

"Fantastic...something else he rocks at." Brandon mumbled, sinking lower in his seat.

"I can't believe it!" Natasha exclaimed.

"Woo! Go sexy!" Haley cheered.

"Wow." I muttered under my breath, still in shock.

"Edward?" Miss Lovely asked, seeming worried that he still hadn't said anything. "Are you alright?"

Instead of answering her Edward simply started shaking his head "no" over and over again.

"No you're not alright?"

"He's probably in shock." Natasha said.

"Probably...I know I am." Kyle added, seeming more awake than ever before.

"Dude I think he's going to faint or something." Denver commented.

"I sure hope so." Brandon whispered to himself, thinking no one heard him.

"I know basic first aide!" Natasha announced, rising up in her seat as if to check and see if Edward needed her help.

"Edward are you ok?" Miss Lovely asked once more, trying to get an answer from him.

"No...I am not what I would classify as being ok." He finally answered, speaking slowly...almost as if he was going to faint.

"Why is that dear?"

He finally moved, quickly snapping his head up to look at her. "I can't read this." He spit out, so fast it was almost hard to understand him.

"Excuse me?" She asked, not quite sure what he just said.

"I...I just...cannot...read...this."

"Why?"

"Because I can't...I just can't." He said seeming quite panicked. He pointed to the paper in front of him. "There's no way I can read this."

"Why can't you read it? You never get nervous talking in front of people." Denver said.

"It's not that I'm nervous about reading it in front of the class, it's just that I cannot read it."

"Edward I guess I don't understand why you can't read your paper. I think it's fantastic if that helps you any." Miss Lovely encouraged, trying to help.

"I'm not worried about how good it is...I just _cannot_ read it."

"Do you want someone else to read it for you?"

"No...I don't."

"Then why can't you read it."

"Because of what it's about." He said, as he started to frantically tap his foot on the ground.

"What's wrong with your topic?"

"If I would have known that this was going to be good enough to read in front of the class...I _wouldn't_ have wrote about it."

"I don't think you should be ashamed about your subject matter Edward." She said, resting a hand on his shoulder. "It's a lovely paper."

"I'm not ashamed of what I wrote about...I just _can't_ read it."

"Edward." I said, seeing if I could help him out any. "I'm sure your paper is great. You really should go up there and read it. Then maybe you can prove to everyone that you really can write."

He was silent for a moment as he looked down at the paper in front of him before he looked back up at the front of the room. He took a deep breath and sighed before he stood up."Ok, I'm reading my paper."

I offered him a smile as he walked to the front of the room. He smiled back as well, but only slightly. You could tell that he still seemed real worked up. Everyone seemed even more shocked now than they were before, because Edward had never flat out freaked like that before...never. It was very unusual for him. I wasn't sure what his paper could be about that sent him into such a fit, but I figured that I'd find out soon enough.

"Are you ready now Edward?" Miss Lovely asked, taking a seat behind her desk.

Edward looked up at the class and quickly glanced over at me. "As ready as I'll ever be I guess."

"Then you may begin." She told him, as the whole class seemed to sit up in their seats all at once. There wasn't one pair of eyes not glued on Edward's face.

He slowly ran one hand through his hair before he took a deep breath and started to read.

_There are thousands of metaphors people use to describe life. Some people describe their life as being an element of nature, such as a river, or a raging storm. People frequently will describe their lives as being a roller coaster, full of ups and downs, or maybe even an adventure, full of new things to discover. People that don't view their lives in such a positive manner compare their lives to war battles and prisons, feeling as though they can never get away from the struggle. Other people compare their lives to things we encounter everyday, such as books, poems, or songs._

_One metaphor for life frequently tends to get overlooked when you line up all of the other things life can be compared to. But in some people's opinion they view life as being a movie, and I am certainly no exception. In both movies and in life you have characters, conflict, a plot, and dialogue. Movies and life both seem to be set up in a sequence of scenes and acts. In fact that's the main thing that movies and life have in common. Both of them are full of acts. And I believe that my life is a prime example of this, because just like a movie, my life consists of act after act._

_How or why I became so addicted to acting, I don't think I'll ever know. For some reason I have always had a strong passion for it. I'm not able to remember ever wanting to do anything else with my life except act. It was all I ever desired to do, and as I frequently admit, I'm good at it. I never thought that I would use my acting skills for anything but making movies and starring in TV shows, but I was very, very wrong. I have become so addicted to acting that it has become a part of my everyday life. I will act sometimes without even knowing it, just because my mind loves it so much. I come up with crazy excuses for things when I could just tell the truth, and I like to tell elaborate stories just for the heck of it. I usually don't even realize I'm doing these things, and I never plan to do so ahead of time. It just happens._

_But don't give me a ton of credit, because there are acts I put on that I am fully aware of. In fact, almost my entire life has been one huge act. The past two years have been the biggest act I've ever had to put on, simply because I had to. No one really understands everything I've been through, everything that's happened to me, and everything that I have felt over my lifetime._

_Just to get things clear once and for all, I am acting all the time. 24/7...365 days a year...I'm acting. I swear that I probably act in my sleep, it's that bad. There are just so many things I find necessary to hide from the world, so I keep them shut within my mind and don't let anyone else find out about them._

_Basically anytime I open my mouth, I am acting. Anytime I laugh, or smile...I'm without a doubt acting. It's so easy to plaster a smile on your face, nod your head, and tell people you're ok when you're really not. And there have been so many occasions where I've had to convince people that I'm the happiest person in the world, when that is so incredibly false._

_The acts I've had to put on in my lifetime to convince people things were ok are the most elaborate acts I've ever took part in. Just having to tell someone I'm feeling great is a bigger act than two movies worth of them. And it's even worse because I never stop acting. Anytime anyone says anything to me, I have to act...just so they don't know. I have to smile and I have to pretend like everything is fine. Even for an amazing actor such as myself, it gets really hard to continuously convince people that you are something you're not. I used to find myself lying in bed at night, trying to come up with good excuses to cover up my real thoughts and feelings, and the first thing that came to mind was myself. So when I found myself in a situation when someone would ask me how I was that day, I'd find myself coming up with answers like..."Oh just as sexy as ever"...or..."I'm even more attractive than I was yesterday." Obviously my whole obsession with myself isn't just an act, that's basically all real, but using it as a tool to keep myself from telling the truth comes in handy. A man by the name of __Dean Acheson said__ "The great corrupter of public man is the ego....Looking at the mirror distracts one's attention from the problem.__" This couldn't be any more true for me...because about the only time I can distract myself from the problem that is constantly present in my life is when I'm looking in the mirror. It never totally distracts me from the problem, nothing will ever be able to do that, but at least it takes a little bit of the attention off of it for once._

_You're probably wondering why I feel that I have to do all this. My life is just a huge act, and it always has been. Almost everything about me is an act. Take my current relationship for example, which is quite a huge act in itself. _

_My girlfriend doesn't exactly treat me like she should. As everyone is quite aware of, she has cheated on me in the past. She's really just using me to help her become more famous, and she's hoping to marry me someday and get a share of my money. But there is not one ounce of love in our relationship. I'm dating her for all the wrong reasons as well. I stay with her because I think I need her to stay famous, and in all truth I'm scared of what she'll do if I break things off with her. She doesn't get along with my family at all, and I'm just so afraid she'll take it out on them if I put our relationship to an end. So despite all this I continue to date her, and I continue to live yet another act in my life. When I first met her, I was under the impression that I loved her, but that feeling faded once I saw her true nature, and how much of a monster she could be. Besides I should have known I could never love her...because I was already in love long before I met Rosalie Hale.  
_

Edward suddenly stopped reading, his hands shaking slightly as continuously took deep breaths.

"Edward dear are you alright?" Miss Lovely asked him.

"Is he done with his paper?" Natasha whispered from the back of the room as everyone remained starring right at him.

Miss Lovely shook her head. "He's barely even started."

Edward was shaking more now, but he still wouldn't look up at us.

"Edward?" Miss Lovely repeated. "What's wrong?"

"Can I please stop there?" He randomly blurted out, looking up suddenly.

Miss Lovely seemed shocked. "Why do you want to stop there? The best part of your paper is coming up."

"Can I just _please_ stop there?" He pleaded, not shaking as bad now, but still seeming nervous. "I just have to stop there."

"But it's such a good paper Edward, everyone was getting into it and..."

"Please!" He basically yelled. "I've already read more than I wanted to in the first place. I just cannot read the rest of it. Please Miss Lovely...I'm _begging_ you to let me stop reading this paper!"

"Why don't you want to read the rest of it Edward? I think it's fantastic."

"Because the second I finish reading this paper my life will be over!" He yelled once more. "This paper will be the end of me!"

"How come?"

"It just will. This paper will totally screw me over beyond belief. If I would have known that it was going to be good enough to read in front of the class, I wouldn't have wrote about this!"

She offered him a sincere smile, trying to comfort him. "Edward I actually think that reading this paper could help you out a lot."

"What?" He asked, seeming like what she said was something utterly absurd. He leaned against the chalk board and slammed his head into it. "Are you serious?"

"Yes I'm serious." Miss Lovely said, looking at Edward with concern. "Getting it off of your chest alone will do you good, and I think that things may work out in your favor."

Edward laughed in a nervous manner. "Ha...yeah right. No, reading this paper will be the end of my life...I know it."

"I wouldn't exactly put it that way."

"Oh I would." Edward said, still leaning against the chalkboard as if he was using it as support to keep himself from falling. "Did you read what would probably happen to me if things didn't exactly work out?"

Miss Lovely seemed to be remembering what Edward was talking about. "Yes I think I recall what you're talking about."

"Yeah...so my life will be over as soon as I read this paper."

"Cullen." Denver called to him, breaking our silence. "Are you just putting on some act for the cameras or what? You have never freaked out like this before...ever."

"Denver, trust me when I say that this is no act. I would not behave like such a fool if I was acting. This is something beyond my control."

"Edward I truthfully don't see what all the fuss is about. I think your life will be ten times better after you finish reading that paper." Said Miss Lovely.

"No it won't." He almost whined, seeming very worn out by all of this. "Just please Miss Lovely...can I please stop there?"

"I really think you should keep going Edward."

"But my life will be over."

"I highly doubt that."

"Over! O-V-E-R...Over!" He yelled again.

"Now Edward." Miss Lovely said, trying to comfort him.

"Si j'ai lu ce papier je jure que ma chaque raison pour existant sera finie. Ma vie sucera officiellement pour toujours." Edward muttered to himself, causing the class to whisper amongst themselves in confusion.

Miss Lovely seemed taken aback by Edward's random outburst. "Is he speaking French?" She asked.

"Yeah he is. He does that sometimes when he's stressed." I said, watching Edward as he continued rambling on. I was trying to pick out certain words to see if I could translate what he was saying, but he was talking so fast it was hard to understand him.

"Qui croirait jamais que je serais choisi pour lire mon papier devant la classe ? Ha, pas moi. Si je savais que, je n'aurais pas en a écrit. Mais j'ai fait et maintenant j'ai ruiné ma propre vie. Pouah c'est si incroyablement fantastique. Ma vie est pour l'instant au-delà finie."

"Edward?" Miss Lovely called to him, seeing if she could stop his rambling.

"Je suis si fait pour. La lecture de ce papier mettra fin à tout pour vie comme je le sais est devais-je le faire à moi ? Je suis si stupide! Pouah et maintenant les choses vont être terribles pour moi. Juste la réflexion que va arriver après que j'ai lu ce papier me conduit insensé! Dites-vous que... Je lirai ce papier ... à une audience de singes! Alors le résultat serait beaucoup mieux. Mais je ne peux pas le lire ici. No. Absolument non. La lecture de ce papier ressemblerait en ce moment à une forme de suicide, cela ne peut pas juste être fait. Je ne peux pas le lire."

"Yo Pierre!" Denver called out to him. "Just shut up and finish reading your paper. I'm sure it's not that bad."

"Oh Denver. Denver stupide, stupide. Il est cela mal. Bien peut-être le papier n'est pas en soi mauvais. Évidemment, je m'attendais à ce que c'ait été mauvais. Parce que je n'aurais pas en a écrit si je savais qu'il allait être bon. Évidemment, c'est ma vraie nature. Je dois juste être bon à tout, apparemment même l'écriture. Le désir j'aurais su que plus bientôt avant que j'ai complètement ruiné tout en en écrivant. "

"Ah he said my name...I know that much." Denver said, shrugging as he leaned back in his seat.

I decided that I would try to help Edward out. "Hey Edward." I said, wondering if he even heard me over his rant in French. He must have, because he turned around to face me, and was actually quiet for the first time in several minutes.

"Yeah?" He said, finally speaking English.

I didn't know why, but I got up out of my seat, walked over to him, took his hand and led him back to the front of the room. "Your paper is amazing Edward. I don't understand why you're so worked up about it."

He didn't say anything, he just looked down at our joined hands.

"I think you should keep reading it. Prove all of us wrong. Prove it to us that you can write." I said, letting go of his hand and walking back to my seat.

Edward glanced down at his paper before he looked up at the class and then over at Miss Lovely. "I'm terribly sorry about that." He said to her.

"It's alright." She said, her voice soft and soothing. "You may stop reading if you really want to Edward."

He sighed, looked down and shook his head no. "I think I should keep going."

"If that's what you want."

He didn't look back up. "It is."

"Then go ahead and read the rest of your paper."

He sighed, shook his head a little, and picked up where he left off.

_I have been in love with the same girl for almost my whole life. I can't ever remember wanting to spend my life with anyone else but her. If my feelings for her have changed at all over the years, they have only grown stronger. I find myself loving her more and more each day. Every time I see her my heart starts beating like mad, I find it hard to breathe, and I can't think straight. She's my every reason for existence, and yet she doesn't even know it._

_Most guys that look at my girlfriend and then look at the girl I'm in love with would probably be more attracted to my girlfriend, just because her superstar status makes her appear beautiful in so many ways. But in my opinion, the girl I'm in love with shines a million times brighter than my girlfriend ever will, and that's because the girl I love is your average, everyday sort of girl, and that is one of the main things I love about her. You see, I too was born an average person...and then I worked to earn my celebrity status. All of the famous girls that tend to make so many guys go crazy do absolutely nothing for me. The girl I love is just a normal girl...nothing superstar like about her...which is what makes her a superstar in her own way. She appreciates the smaller things in life, like a cute graphic t-shirt, extra hot fudge on her sundae, and time with her friends and family. She doesn't need shiny cars, lots of money, or a huge mansion to make her happy. She is content with who she is, and she doesn't change that for anyone. This is one of the qualities I find so amazing about her._

_If you asked me to name off all of the outstanding qualities this girl has, not even a thousand years would be enough time to do so. I have never met another girl like her in my whole life. She is so unique, and no one else is even comparable to her. She's kind, caring, understanding, and has a deep compassion for others. She values her friends and family, and cherishes the time she spends with them. She's incredibly intelligent, and she has many things she wants to do with her life. She sets high goals for herself, strives to reach them, and doesn't give up. Her sense of humor is amazing, and she's basically the only person that can make me actually smile without having to act. And of course she's beautiful. She's the exact opposite of my girlfriend in appearance, dark hair, dark eyes, shorter height, and fairer skin. But she is the most beautiful girl in the world, more beautiful than any actress, singer, or model will ever be. _

_Earlier I said that I've really had to start acting a lot throughout my daily life just within the past two years. This can easily be explained. I knew that if I wanted to be a successful actor I was going to have to sacrifice a lot of things. I knew I'd have to leave the city I grew up in and move to LA, and I knew that I would drastically have to change my lifestyle. Moving to LA also meant sacrificing something of high value to me. It meant leaving the girl I loved behind, and the possibility of ever seeing her again was slim. Even as I was making my move to LA two years ago in order to film Love to Hate You I knew this, but thought I'd be able to emotionally stand it. I couldn't have been more wrong._

_The first six months or so in LA weren't too bad. I was so absorbed in the new lifestyle and the instant fame that it sort of kept me from thinking about home. But once that all started to die down, I found myself entering these really sad moods. These sad moods weren't the type of thing that would disappear in a few hours either. They stuck around, and I wasn't quite sure why I was experiencing them. I thought I had everything a guy could ever ask for, so why was I sad? Then one night I went to my room and got the random urge to look through my contacts on my phone to see how many people I had in them. I just so happened to come across her name, and the second I read it I felt my heart sink. It was at that moment that I realized I had far beyond screwed up, and that I was probably never going to see her again._

_It was after that night that my life headed into a downwards spiral. The sad moods grew more intense, and in fact they became so intense that they nearly drove me into a depressed state at times. I was constantly feeling down on myself, alone, worthless, and upset. There were so many times when I wanted to burst into tears, but I couldn't. I'd have to wait each day until I was in the privacy of my own room before I'd allow the tears to fall. I didn't want anyone else to know about the emotional struggle I was going through. So I made myself act through my experience, telling people I was ok when I really felt like I was dying inside. I just couldn't let people know that I was secretly falling apart. I couldn't even let my family know about it. Why would I want to hurt them by letting them know that I was basically depressed? So I had to act around them too. And even if I wasn't such an emotional wreck, I'd have to act around everybody anyway...because there's only one person in this world that knows about my true feelings for this girl. Hence the reason I'm constantly putting on an act. I pretend like I don't love her, and I pretend like I'm ok without her. What a huge act._

_I wasn't only so upset just because I was away from her. Sure that intensified things, but I was mostly upset because of myself. You see, since I have to act about everything...I pretend to hate this girl that I love. I have teased her, insulted her, and picked on her since the day we first met. Why I ever started doing this...I don't know. I guess it was just my natural want to act that took over. Instead of flat out telling her I loved her, I told her I hated her instead. And throughout the time I've known her I've done and said some incredibly nasty things to her. I can't even begin to imagine all of the hurt I've caused her over the years. I know that she must hate me for doing that to her, and I really cannot blame her. I'd always feel bad for doing what I did to her, but I'd never stop. So once I was in LA and I was away from her, I realized how much I screwed up. Not only did I move to LA without telling her how I felt about her, but I had spent all the years I had known her treating her like crap rather than trying to win her heart. This simple fact made me incredibly angry with myself. I started to hate myself for doing the things I had done to her. It was all my fault that I was in such a depressed mood all the time, it was my fault I had to pretend everything was ok, and it was my fault that I wasn't with her._

_Life without her was terrible. Suddenly the luxuries of fame no longer appealed to me. Even going on the set of a movie didn't help my mindset at all. Everywhere I looked and everything I did reminded me of her. I craved her presence, and there were many times when I would have killed just to hear her voice or see her smile one more time. I'd dream about her almost everything night, and daydream about her during the day. I'd avoid going out with friends, and most of the times when I'd come home from a day on the set I'd lock myself up in my room, just to be alone. I'd allow myself to finally drown in my own thoughts there, and sometimes I'd even talk to myself out loud. It was nice to be in the privacy of my own room and not act for once. But oh how I dreaded laying in bed at night, waiting to go to sleep. I'd stare at the ceiling, shouting insults to myself in my head for being such a jerk to her. I'd replay memories of her in my head over and over again so much that it nearly drove me insane. The pain I felt right before I'd fall asleep at night was more intense than the pain I felt at any other time during the day. Life without her was absolutely pointless in my mind._

_It is so hard to describe the pain I experienced on a daily basis. The best way I can put it is that it hurts more than if you were to break every bone in your body in every possible place you could break them. There would be this constant ache in my chest, as if my heart was literally breaking to pieces. My head felt like it was throbbing at times, and I'd have crazy headaches almost everyday. You are almost unaware of your surroundings, and the days seem to pass by in a daze. This emotional pain I experienced was so intense that I wouldn't even wish it upon the maddest of murders, because the pain in itself is basically the definition of murder. It kills you, absolutely kills you. I'd hate waking up in the mornings, because sleep was about the only time I didn't really experience much pain. As soon as I'd wake up, the pain would come back, and I'd have to go through another day of constant heartache. It was nearly unbearable at times. There were so many moments when I just wanted to scream, cry, and punch holes in the walls...but I couldn't. I had to maintain composer. That almost made the pain worse, since I had to hold it in. It seriously felt like I was falling apart inside, and I don't doubt that I was...because without her my life was falling apart, so I guess it was only fitting that my mind did as well._

_If someone was to ask my how I was, I would act and tell them I was fine, or use one of my many cover ups involving how sexy I am, or something of the sort. But if anyone was actually able to read my mind, and I knew it...even then they wouldn't be able to know what I was really thinking about. I wouldn't want that person inside my head to know how much I was falling apart, and I certainly wouldn't want them to know that she was the reason why. If I knew someone was inside my head, reading my every thought...I'd act then too. More than likely I'd just start thinking random thoughts, and these thoughts would likely be full of thoughts about myself. Thinking and talking about myself, like I said before...is the best cover up for what I'm going through. If I was to go to a physic, they would find me so self-centered because I'd only be thinking about myself and how sexy I am. They would probably assume that I think the world revolves around me. But that's not the truth at all, because my world revolves around her, and only her._

_But all this acting got tiresome after a while. I was growing so sick of pretending that I lived the greatest life in the world. I knew I was bound to crack at some point and end up seeming crazy when I'd finally confess the things I was going through. Acting to keep people from knowing what was really going on inside of me wasn't really helping my problem that much either. You know when you get cut you can put a band-aid on to try and protect it. But the band-aid is merely a cover up. It doesn't help the wound heal, and it doesn't make the pain go away. My acting is no different. It merely covers up my pain, but it never makes it leave._

_After a little over a year in LA I came to the realization I was going to drive myself insane if I didn't see her again. I started making plans to come back to Phoenix and finish out my last two years of school. I became excited when things were basically set in stone for me to come back for over half of my junior year, and all of my senior year. But I discovered that leaving LA so soon after becoming famous probably was not a good idea, and everyone else seemed to agree. So I thought that I could wait to come back maybe the summer before this school year was supposed to start. However I became extremely busy, and I started to doubt that I'd ever get to come back. The effect that this had on my emotional state was like pouring gasoline on a fire. I could have been compared to a zombie at this point in my life, because I'd barely seem alive as I'd go about my daily tasks. It was then I knew that no matter what I had to get back to Phoenix, even if it was just for one more year. I knew I needed a second chance to actually make things right with her. I figured that if I came back and at least tried to set things right, that even if she didn't have feelings for me, I wouldn't be as depressed once returning to LA. Things got worked out so that I would be able to attend school here this year, and after I got the official word that I would be able to come back to Phoenix High School this September, I was counting down the days until I would get to see her again._

_As soon as I got here and finally saw her beautiful face again, that mental state of mind completely disappeared. I was very hopeful that I was going to make the most out of this second chance. I had rehearsed ways to confess my feelings for her over in my mind, and I thought of how I'd greet her for the first time. I knew that I only had a year to set things right and make up for everything I had done to her in the past. I didn't want to waste any time, because each second I spent with her was precious. I needed all those seconds to prove my love to her. But even though I knew this, my mind didn't seem to grasp it. Instead of being loving, caring, and nice to her, I acted the same way around her that I did before I left...if not worse. I started teasing and insulting her just as before, and couldn't bring myself to stop. Before I knew it September flew by, then October, November, and now December is nearly gone. I'm wasting the valuable time I have left with her, and I'm making matters worse for myself. By doing this I am setting myself up for many more years of hurt, pain, and depression. I am setting myself up for self-destruction._

_I think the reason that I tend to tease her instead of telling her how I feel is because I'm scared she'll turn me down. I know she must hate me for everything I've done to her in the past, and if she doesn't...I have no idea why. No matter how hard I try I just can't make myself tell her the truth. Maybe it's because of my stupid passion for acting. It's keeping me from revealing my true feelings to her. I have six months left in this town before I'm headed back on a plane to LA. Six more months to make the most of this second chance, and six more months is all the time I'm going to get, because I don't deserve a third chance. I have got to suck it up and tell her how I feel about her, or else it will be the end of me. Life without her in my opinion is flat out useless. I have no reason to live if she is not in my life._

_With fame comes a price. So many celebrities end up addicted to drugs or alcohol. Some of these celebrities are people that appear like that have everything pulled together, but they really don't. A lot of times the top celebrities are the ones under the most pressure, and every now and then you'll hear about one of them dying alone due to a drug overdose, and the world mourns over their death for a few months before they move on. When I knew that I wanted to become famous, I didn't want to end up like that. I knew that the odds that I would drink, smoke, do drugs, or cheat on my significant other were ten times more intense as a celebrity than they were as an average high school student. But I wanted to be famous anyway despite the odds, because I thought I could beat them. I have enough decency and moral standards that if I was sane, I wouldn't do that to myself._

_But without her in my life, I am due to drive myself down the path that so many big time celebrities have traveled down. Without her, I don't doubt that I will follow that path. I will wind up married and divorced over five times, and I'll have at least ten different kids spread amongst my many wives and girlfriends. I don't know if I'd sink so low as to become an alcoholic, or if I'd use illegal drugs. But what I don't doubt at all is that without her, just like so many celebrities before me...my life will end long before it should. If I don't have her in my life, just you wait. Someday, maybe twenty years from now you'll turn on the news and hear that I died alone in my extravagant mansion at the age of thirty-eight, do to an accidental overdose of some kind of medicine prescribed for depression. I don't want that to happen to me. I don't want to cause that sort of pain to my family. But in all truth, every day I spend without her is comparable to dying. Even if I didn't die of some kind of overdose, the emotional pain would eventually become enough. I wouldn't doubt any of it. I don't want to end up like that, because I've never wanted to be just another big-time Hollywood star. I wanted to make a difference, and not end up that way. However without her, that's what is due to happen to me. My clock is ticking, and it's been long overdue to explode into a thousand little pieces._

_I'm scared to tell her how I feel. I should just suck it up and do it, so that way at least I know that I tried. To me, she's necessary for life. She's my every reason for living. If I do end up telling her how I feel and she winds up feeling the same way about me, she will have saved my life. She's the only thing that can keep me from going down that dangerous path...the only thing._

_Life, and my life especially...is quite comparable to a movie in so many ways, perhaps in more ways than others. Just like a movie, my life would not be right without the proper girl playing the lead female role. And just like in a movie, there's only one girl fit for that role. Without her playing that part in my life, it just won't be right. Things won't fit together, the plot will get twisted up, and it certainly will not end happily ever after._

Once he finished reading there wasn't a dry eye left in the room. Even the guys were all crying. No one said a word, but Miss Lovely did hand the box of tissues to Autumn to start passing around the room. It was only after the box finally made its way to me, that Miss Lovely broke the silence.

"Well everyone, I think now you understand why I was bragging this paper up so much before he read it, don't you?"

We all nodded our heads and wiped our eyes. Edward was still starring straight down at his paper.

Miss Lovely sniffed. "Does anyone have anything to say about Edward's paper?"

Denver immediately raised his hand, wiping his nose on his shirt sleeve.

"Go ahead Denver." Miss Lovely said.

"Dude." Denver said, rubbing his eyes. "Cullen I never thought you'd make me cry in front of a room full of chicks. But you did, way to go. There's no way I'm getting laid tonight. But for your sake....I hope _you_ do."

"Denver." Miss Lovely said, but she really didn't seem to mind.

"Oh yeah, and nice paper." He finished.

I heard Haley bawling like a baby behind me. I was crying too, but I was trying to hide it more than the others. I didn't want Edward to see me crying...I wasn't sure why. However my tears were both sad and happy in a sense, because as I was thinking about his paper I couldn't help thinking about the way he described that girl. I didn't even realize that Natasha went on a five minute rant about how fantastic Edward's paper was, and I was totally unaware that I raised my hand to be called on after she was done.

"Bella." Miss Lovely said. "Bella dear...do you have something to say?"

"Hmm?" I asked lifting my head up to see my hand was raised. After I looked up at my hand, my eyes instantly drifted to Edward, who was now starring right at me. "Oh I'm sorry."

"It's alright." She said, smiling at me. "What would you like to say?"

"Um." I said finding myself starring right into Edward's eyes. "Wow Edward. You know, I had a feeling that you were going to read this assignment to the class and prove to all of us that you could write. I couldn't have been any more correct. That was beyond fantastic Edward, and I think it really taught us something about you. I think so many people just assume your life is great and that you couldn't be happier...but you showed us there's a darkness to you. That was really great." I said, choking on my tears. "Way to go Edward...you finally found your connection."

He smiled at me through slightly teary eyes of his own as the bell rang.

"Oh class!" Miss Lovely called to us before we dashed out of the room. "I just want to let you know that you will all be getting your grades for your assignments when you return from break, but just for the record...Edward got a one hundred percent."

Edward looked over at Miss Lovely as if he didn't believe it.

"Congratulations Edward...you're a writer." She said, smiling at him as she gently patted him on the back.

I wiped my eyes with my free hand as I walked out into the hallway in hopes of avoiding getting run over by crazy teenagers. I slowly started putting my books back in my locker, and soon I was one of the only people left in the hallway.

I heard footsteps coming up behind me and suddenly felt a soft kiss on the side of my cheek. Taken by surprise, I turned around to see that Edward was standing behind me, holding up some mistletoe.

"Thought I'd better kiss you on the cheek...figured you wouldn't flip out as much." He said, smiling at me.

I smiled back, resting my hand on the cheek he kissed. "Nice assumption."

He laughed slightly as he handed me several sheets paper. "Merry Christmas Bella...and thank you." He said, before he walked away.

I looked down at the papers he had handed me, and found tears threatening to fall once more as I realized what it was.

He had given me his assignment, rather than keeping it himself.

I hugged the paper close to me as I made my way out into the parking lot, thinking about all of the things Edward had said in it.

He was a completely different person than he had lead the world to believe, and I knew that now because of the paper he wrote.

I knew that he was so deeply in love with some girl that he viewed her as his every reason for existing. He loved her so much that he considered her essential for life.

And I also knew that the girl he was talking about sounded an awful lot like _me_.

* * *

**I am really looking forward to what you have to say about this one.**

**Ok, long story short here...half of this whole story was originally supposed to be in Edward's POV...but after I saw how mysterious he was to you readers...I found it best to keep him that way. After all...he is the world's greatest actor. I liked that no one knew what was going on in his head. So when he finally revealed what went on in his head, I wanted that moment to be big. What I came up with was this writing assignment, and I really like the way it ended up.**

**This chapter finally shows everyone what Edward is really like, and it lifts the act he's been carrying out for the past 17 chapters (and past 15 years). I found myself constantly tearing up as I typed this, talk about getting into what you write!  
**

**Now the reason I made the chapter I did put in his POV so full of ego is expressed in his paper...did you guys catch onto that?**

**Well that's the short story. I'm looking forward to the next chapter now! It's going to be absolutely full of Edward/Bella flirting! Yeah!**

**Now if you'd excuse me....I need to go find the nearest box of tissues :).**

**I really hope you guys liked this chapter, I'd love to hear your feedback!**

**Thank you so much for reading!**

**~Hazl~  
**


	19. Chapter 19

**Thank you all for the lovely comments on the last chapter! That chapter meant a lot to me, so I was very glad that you guys enjoyed it so much! **

**I'm incredibly sorry for not updating sooner...I've practically been living in our gym for the past several weeks because of our school's musical. We had practice every night of the week (except Sunday), even on Good Friday and the Saturday before Easter. Practices ranged from being three to four hours long each night, and by the time they were over I was so exhausted I'd just go straight to bed. (And it was really late at night and I wouldn't have been allowed to be on the computer anyway.) Any free time I did have I spent going over my lines, eating supper, and just relaxing. We just put on our last performance last night, so I'm not occupied so much anymore...which is good news for you guys, that means more updates! But again, I apologize for not getting something up here for you all to read, I know how much you were all looking forward to a new chapter.  
**

**This chapter is going to maintain some seriousness, but nothing like what was in the last chapter. It's a shorter one that usual...but it's still pretty nice. Like I said in the author's note for the last chapter, this chapter is going to be full of Edward/Bella flirtatious moments. After that paper how could they not be flirtatious with one another? ;)  
**

**

* * *

****Chapter 19**

_Just thought I'd let you know that my flight made it in on time. Edward Cullen is now back in Phoenix! Oh, and by the way, I'm decorating for my party today, but I need a woman's opinion. Would you like to come over and help me out? Gazpacho told me he's serving something good for lunch. And I'll be here, so it's like a double deal. ;)_

I smiled at the text that Edward sent me. It was the twenty eighth of December, three days after Christmas and three days until New Year's Eve. Edward had been in LA for eleven days, and I missed him a lot. I spent a large portion of my Christmas break thinking about him and the paper he wrote. I had probably read it over a hundred times by then. The more I read it and thought about it the more everything seemed to point toward me. How could the girl he was talking about _not_ be me? Every single characteristic he pointed out sounded like a characteristic I had. This made it even harder to have to be away from him, because I really wanted to talk to him about that paper. If I really was the girl he was talking about, then I wanted to let him know about my feelings for him too, and not just because I wanted to be with him, but because I didn't want to be the reason for his emotional breakdown.

So I didn't even hesitate to get dressed and head to Edward's house to help him decorate, even though I didn't like decorating that much. I was almost nervous about seeing him again. I had no idea what I was going to say to him about the paper. I wondered if he felt as nervous as I did. It certainly didn't help my nerves any as I pulled into the driveway leading up to his house. The sun shone brightly through the trees lining the drive, and bounced off of the hood of my truck. Once the trees parted the house came into view, just as grand and beautiful as ever. I began to direct the truck to my normal parking space when I noticed that Edward was standing out on the front porch, leaning against the door, smiling at me as I pulled in. The sun hit his face just right and looking at him in that moment literally took my breath away. I actually had to sit in the truck for a minute to catch my breath before I stepped outside.

I didn't want to look at him as I walked up to the front porch, for fear I'd do something stupid. But I couldn't help myself, so I looked up at him anyway. As soon as he saw that I had made eye contact he came running off of the porch and wrapped his arms around me in a gentle hug.

"Hey Bella!" He said, spinning me around in a small circle.

"Hey." Was all I could say as I looked up at him.

He smiled, still not bothering to pull away from our embrace. "Did you miss me?"

"A lot more than you'd think."

Edward laughed slightly as he took my hand and led me into the house. "I'm _so_ extremely grateful that you're here. I never was good at party decorating."

"Well Edward you live in LA, shouldn't you be an expert on parties by now?" I asked him.

He shook his head. "Ah Bella."

"What?"

He was still smiling as he turned to me. "_Gosh_ I missed you."

"Wow, I don't think you've ever told me that before."

"Well it's true." He said, directing me toward the living room. "What do you think so far?"

I looked around the Cullen's living room, which seemed unusually bare. All of the furniture was gone and so were all the rugs and other decorative elements.

"It looks more like you're moving out, not throwing a party."

"I moved the furniture out so that everyone would have room to dance."

I nodded my head. "Ok, that makes a bit more sense."

"I think I'll bring a couple of the couches back in here so people do have someplace to sit." He pointed to the wall near the front door. "The snack table is going to go over there I think."

I looked in the direction he was pointing. "Sounds good to me."

"Then I'm gonna have like, three or four flat screen televisions along the wall down here." He said, walking toward the part of the room he was talking about. "The DJ booth will be over there someplace."

"Awesome." I said, following him.

"Emmett's going to be the DJ." Edward said.

"That ought to be interesting."

"Yes it shall." He responded, pointing up at the ceiling. "I have got to find out how to get a disco ball up there."

"I'd suggest a ladder, maybe."

"That would have to be one freaking tall ladder." Edward said, shaking his head. "I'll make someone else do that."

"Aw does little Edward not want to fall off the ladder and hurt himself?" I joked.

"Exactly. This face would be worth nothing if it was damaged." He said, gesturing to his face.

I laughed at him and shook my head. "Edward I swear."

He smiled and wrapped me up in another hug. "You just gotta to love me don't you?"

"You have no idea."

He let me go and started turning in circles, gesturing toward the empty walls. "Now the dilemma I am facing is this. I know I want streamers and balloons and all that crap, but I have no idea what to do with it, what colors I should use, and a whole bunch of other things."

"I think you should go way over the top with your decorating."

"How come?"

"Well you are very over the top, so it fits."

He laughed and looked around. "So how would I do that?"

"Maybe by using a ton of different colors, and really bright ones at that." I walked over to one of the walls. "You could hang streamers all along the wall, and put a ton of balloons by the snack table and tie some to the staircase."

He nodded his head as he continued to look around the room. "Yeah I think I can see that."

"It will look really cool."

"It will." He said, smiling at me as he took my hand. "Come on, let's go get the decorations."

We spent the whole morning twisting streamers into a banner that could be hung around the perimeter of the room. The only time we took a break was to eat lunch at noon. As soon as we were done eating we starting wrapping different colored streamers around the grand staircase. Although it was very hard work, it was a lot of fun. Edward and I kept joking with one another, and we were having a really good time. Once we were all done with the streamers Edward and I sat down on the floor to blow up balloons. We would throw each newly blown up balloon off to the side, and soon we were surrounded by a sea of multi-colored balloons.

"Gosh how many balloons have we blown up...like a thousand?" Edward asked me, struggling to blow up the green balloon he was holding.

I was finding it difficult to blow up my own balloon. "This shouldn't be hard for you to do Edward."

"How come?"

"You're so full of hot air, I'd think that you'd be able to do this with ease."

He laughed as he batted the balloon over to me. "There, that's the last one I'm doing for now."

I finished blowing up the balloon I was holding before I threw it to the floor. "Me too."

Edward sighed and laid down on the floor. "That is quite exhausting."

I just looked at him and laughed.

"Why are you laughing at me?" He asked.

"Why are you laying on the floor?"

"Because I feel like it, that's why. You are free to join me if you'd like."

I did as he said and laid down beside him. "I don't see the thrill in this."

"There isn't one, I'm just tired."

I moved closer to him. "So did Rosalie behave at dinner on Christmas Eve?"

He rolled his eyes. "She was better than usual, but still not very well-behaved. _Emmett_ was probably better behaved than her." He said, wrapping his arm around me and pulling me against his side.

I rested my head on his chest and closed my eyes. "Wow that's saying something."

"Yeah it is."

I opened my eyes and looked at him. "Why?"

He smiled and shook his head, knowing what I was asking without elaborating. "I'm stupid."

"_I'll_ say."

He looked over at me with a soft look on his face. "Do you want to take a break for a while?"

"I thought that's what we're doing now."

"Well yeah, it is...but it's really nice outside. Would you like to go for a walk or something?"

"Sounds good to me."

"Good." He said, standing up. He held out his hands to me so that I could get up, but although he let go of one of them, he remained holding the other.

I looked down at our hands, totally in awe at everything that had happened so far that day. Neither one of us had made any effort to talk about his paper, yet you could tell that both of us were thinking about it. I also found it amazing that Edward was almost being flirtatious with me, as if he was trying to tell me about his feelings through gestures, rather than words.

"We could just walk around the yard." He said, leading me to the front door.

"Yeah, since your yard is bigger than the state of Rhode Island."

He laughed as he opened the door. "No it's not." He said, closing the door behind us. "However, my yard in LA may be."

I laughed at him as we walked down the stairs and out into the sun.

We were quiet for a long time as we walked around the backyard, looking around at the beauty of the trees and the sky above us. We remained holding hands the entire time as we walked, our fingers laced in between one another's.

After a while Edward finally let go of my hand and leaned against the trunk of one of the smaller trees in his yard. I followed him, standing directly in front of where he was.

"Bella." He said, grabbing onto one of the low-hanging tree branches above him. "Do you think I'm a bad guy?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused by his question.

"Well you and a lot of other people always seem to joke about how I do all of these wild and crazy things. Do you really think I do all that...or are you just joking?"

"Like what kind of wild and crazy things? Are you asking me if I think you're an alcoholic or something?"

"Yeah that's somewhat along the lines of what I'm asking."

I took a step closer to him. "Well Edward, truthfully I used to think that you were into that kind of stuff."

"That I was into drinking and partying?"

"And doing drugs and smoking and all of that. I guess it's just because I figured you'd let all that fame get to your head and you would be like almost any other big time movie star."

"So you're saying that you _used_ to think I was like that...do you still think I'm like that?"

"It would really surprise me if you weren't...in all truth." I said, looking into his eyes. "But I guess I would have to say no, I don't think you'd do any of that."

"Then you're right." He said, smiling slightly.

"I'm really right?"

"Absolutely."

"You've never drank before?"

He laughed. "Well I'm not saying that."

I laughed too. "So you have?"

"Bella my brother walks around with a beer can in his hand twenty three out of the twenty four hours of the day. Rosalie is constantly into the champagne and wine. I've been exposed to it enough in my lifetime."

"But you could still resist the urge to taste it."

"Have you ever tasted alcohol Bella?" He asked me, smiling as he did so.

I shook my head and laughed a little. "Yes, Edward I have."

"Then I think you have no reason to judge me." He said. "Besides I've never drank a full can of beer before, or a full glass of wine. Just tasted...that's all."

"How do you resist the urge to drink at all of those parties you go to?"

"It's hard, there's no doubting that...but I'm a guy that sticks pretty true to my morals and drinking before I turn twenty-one is against my morals."

"Are you going to drink when you turn twenty-one?"

"Of course I am...but I'm never going to allow myself to get blasted drunk or anything. I will probably have a drink every now and then...but not like all the time."

"So if you haven't really drank...I assume you've never done drugs."

"You would be correct. I've never even tried any of them for that matter."

"I'm sure you're exposed to them a lot though." I said, grabbing onto the same branch that Edward was holding.

He looked up at the tree branch and rested his hand on mine. "Oh yeah, all the time. My own girlfriend has tried to get me into it."

"Rosalie does drugs?"

"She's not like addicted to them...but she's done them before...yes."

"What ones?"

"Too many to count."

"Wow Edward that's just...wow."

"Are you actually surprised by this?" He asked me, looking at me as his gorgeous sideways smile playing along his lips.

I smiled too. "No I guess I'm not."

He laughed slightly. "Want to know anything else?"

"Ok...so you don't drink, you don't really party, and you don't do drugs...how about smoking?"

His face scrunched up as he ran his tongue over his front teeth and his hand through his hair while he smiled in slight embarrassment.

"You smoke?" I asked him.

"Before you get all worked up...just listen to me alright?"

"Alright." I said, laughing at him.

"No I do not smoke...just so we have that cleared up. If I smoked...my dad would probably shoot me."

"Why?"

"Bella my dad's a freaking _doctor_, he doesn't want any of us kids to do anything that would harm our bodies in any way."

"Then what does he do about Emmett?"

"Oh he gave up on Emmett a _long_ time ago." He said.

"So if you don't smoke...why did you act so funny when I asked you about it?"

"Because out of all three things, drinking, doing drugs, and smoking...smoking is what I've been guilty of trying the most."

"You have tried it?"

"I have...yes....on several occasions for that matter."

"I personally have never tried smoking before." I said. "What's it like?"

"It's like inhaling crap...that's what it's like."

I laughed at him. "You don't like it?"

"Oh gosh Bella it's awful. I mean like...ugh...it's just...it's just awful."

"Then why have you tried it so many times?"

"It's really weird...but if you smoke when you are a celebrity...it makes you seem cooler. Don't ask my why, it just does. When you're at clubs and stuff even the people that aren't drinking will light up a cigarette and smoke. It's sort of regarded as a social thing."

"So you've smoked before just to fit into these social settings?"

"Basically yes. But I have never, ever smoked an entire cigarette before. In fact...I don't even think I've ever completely smoked half of one. It just isn't my thing."

"How many times have you tried it?"

"Like three or four...and then I stopped because it's just disgusting."

I laughed. "Edward you really surprise me."

"Well that's why I asked what you thought of me, because I wondered if the general public was under the impression that I was some drug-addicted party boy."

"I think that the public automatically assumes a lot of things about you just because of your status and the amount of fame you have. I know I'm guilty of assuming things about you that I later discovered weren't correct."

"Really? Like what?"

"Well for example I never would have guessed that you were actually a..." I stopped, finding myself laughing instead of saying what I was thinking.

"A what Bella?" He asked, smiling at me because he knew what I was going to say.

"You know a....yeah." I said, suddenly feeling very embarrassed.

He leaned closer to me. "A virgin?" He said, basically whispering.

"Yeah that." I responded, shying away from him.

He laughed and gently kissed me on the cheek. "I guess there's just a lot to me that people don't know."

I smiled, thinking about his paper. "I guess there is."

"Do you want to know why I've never really tried any of that stuff before?"

"Sure...why haven't you ever tried any of that before? I'm curious."

He took a deep breath and leaned back against the trunk of the tree. "I obviously wanted to become an actor because I love acting. But there's always been another reason why I've wanted to be one...and an incredibly successful one at that."

I tried to think about how this could all tie in to everything we had been talking about before. "What's that reason?"

"Celebrities are really able to influence the public...are they not?"

I nodded my head.

"People look up to the rich and famous as if they are royalty or something. Celebrities almost seem too good to be true to the average, everyday person. They seem like they're from a totally different world. So many people look to celebrities as role models, young and old alike. The more famous you are, the more people you have watching you, and the more people you have that look up to you."

"So you wanted to become extremely famous so that the world would look up to you?"

"Well, yes...but no." He said, gently pushing a stray piece of hair behind my ear. "Some celebrities, a lot of celebrities in fact, do some very bad things...such as drinking, doing drugs, and you get the point. A lot of the time the general public knows about this aspect of a celebirty's life...and if this celebrity happens to be one they look up to then they think it's ok for them to go out and do drugs, go to parties, and get drunk."

I was starting to see his point now, but I didn't interrupt him as he continued.

"So the other reason I wanted to become an actor is so I could use my fame for an actual purpose. I wanted people to look up to me so that I could be a good role model to them out of all the other celebrities in the world. I made a vow to myself that for the fans, I was not going to do drugs, smoke, drink, or do anything else that could negatively influence my fans. I want to be that good role model that so many people, teens especially...seem to need in their lives."

"Edward." I said, resting my hand on his face. "You are so far beyond amazing it's insane."

He smiled. " I _know_...but what makes you say that?"

I slowly took my hand away. "I used to think things about you that I've now learned to be completely untrue. I guess I just always thought that all you really cared about in the world was yourself, and that nothing or nobody else mattered to you. I didn't think that you'd have very strict morals and values, and I never thought that you wanted to be famous for any other reason except that you just merely wanted to be famous. I also always thought that there could never be any sort of a darkness to you, but you proved me wrong on that one too."

It was just then I noticed that he was still resting his hand on my hand I placed on the branch. The only reason I noticed it at that moment was because he moved his hand and brought his arm down to his side.

"I guess that's what I get for being an actor huh? People just fall for the facade and don't even think to look past it."

"It's because you're so good at putting on that facade...everyone thinks it's the truth."

He shrugged his shoulders. "You have a point."

I took a step closer to him and placed both my hands on his chest. "Edward you know...you're not such a bad guy after all."

"You really think so?" He asked me, resting his hands on my waist.

"I used to hate your guts...I'm not even joking. I even hated you when you came back from LA in September. I had always made myself believe that you were the definition of evil, and I never accepted any other feeling in my mind. It was just recently here within the past several months, that I've finally changed my opinion. Seeing you and actually learning about why you do some of the things you do makes you seem more, human almost. It makes you seem real...where before it was sort of like you were from another world."

He remained quiet, listening to me as I spoke.

"I know that I've said some pretty mean things to you in my lifetime, and I want to say now that I'm very sorry for that. I've now realized that you are a completely different person, and I can truthfully say that I don't hate you at all." I said, looking into his eyes. "You're a great guy Edward Cullen, a extraordinarily great guy."

He smiled softly. "Bella I think I need to clarify something once and for all."

I bit my lip in a nervous manner as I looked away from his gaze.

"I do not, never have, and never will hate you. I want to let you know that."

I nodded my head a couple of times, as I gently rubbed the front of his chest.

"I don't know why I always chose to insult you, pick on you, and treat you so badly. It was a terrible thing for me to do, and I sincerely apologize for everything I've ever done to hurt you. I have always thought that you were..." He paused, wondering if he should continue.

I finally looked back up at him, wondering why he stopped talking.

He picked back up again. "I always thought that you were one of the most amazing girls in the school. Everyone else seems to follow a crowd, and follow the actions that crowd tells them to follow. But not you. You do your own thing, you are who you are, and you don't care what anyone else thinks. You're very unique person with thoughts, hopes, and dreams for your life. You can simply walk into a room and you manage to put a smile on everyone's face. You are just a genuinely amazing girl, and I'm incredibly sorry for ever making you feel like you were anything less than that."

"Edward I accept your apology." I said, smiling softly at him. "It was really nice of you to say all that."

"I'm actually kind of surprised that you forgive me."

"Of course I do. How could I not after you said all that?"

"I could be acting." He said, looking down at me.

"You could be, but you're not." I said.

"That's another thing." Edward said. "You are like the only person in this world that ever bothers to look beyond my acts."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You're the only person that's ever cared to know if the way I portray myself is actually the way I am. You're the only person that ever even considered the fact that there was more to me than I was letting people know. Sometimes when I'm acting about something you're even able to pick up on it and know that I am...when anybody else wouldn't be able to figure that out."

"I'm seriously the only person that does that?"

"You are the only person who's ever cared to see the real me. Not even my own family has ever truly seen the real me."

I was just in complete amazement at this moment. "I think that everyone got to see the real you after Miss Lovely's class a few weeks ago." I said, bringing up the paper for the first time that day.

His face instantly softened even more than it had before. "Well they don't know everything...just that aspect of my life."

"You really care about that girl...that you wrote about...don't you?"

"She means more to me than anything else in this world. I'd...I'd..." He said looking at me and sighing. "I'd die for that girl in a heartbeat if I had to."

I instantly felt chills go up my spine, because if this girl just so happened to be me...I found it very hard to believe that Edward would be willing to die for me.

"It sounds like if things don't exactly work out you'll end up dying for her anyway." I said, trying to touch on the seriousness of the situation.

He nodded. "Yes that's probably the way things will end up playing out."

"Why do you say that?" I asked him.

"Because there is just no way in the world that I'm ever going to be able to walk up to her and tell her how I feel...there's just no way."

"How come?"

"I just have this feeling that there isn't even a slight possibility that she would ever be able to care about me the way I care about her."

"Edward." I said, grabbing his shirt slightly in my hands. "If this girl in your paper is who I think it is...I know for a fact that you mean _everything_ to her."

He gently rested his forehead on mine. "Are you sure we're talking about the same girl?"

"I'm pretty sure." I said, closing my eyes as I felt his breath fan across my face.

"How sure?" He asked, his lips brushing against mine as he spoke.

The sensation of his lips touching mine caused my body to go numb all over. "Pretty sure." I repeated, my voice squeaking just a bit.

"Bien alors, si nous pensons à la même fille...baiser-moi." He said, his lips still brush against mine.

I didn't even say anything in response...after all I had no idea what he was saying. All I knew was that I wanted to kiss him right then...and I truthfully didn't care about my regulations at that moment, because for once...it seemed like Edward may actually fit both of them.

I just had this feeling that the girl in his paper just had to be me. However I was still finding it hard to admit my feelings to him, I don't know why...but I was. But I knew that if we were to kiss right then, that all of the doors would open, and then finally the truth could come out.

If we'd just kiss, finally everything would work out right.

I felt my lips start to part as we leaned in to close the gap between us. I was totally prepared to kiss him, and I knew that this would be a moment I would never forget.

All of a sudden just as we were so close to kissing, a loud _honk_...from a car driving by on the road sounded throughout the backyard, and the opportunity to kiss him was ruined.

Edward instantly turned around to look at who drove by, and when he saw the car driving off into the distance he groaned in frustration. "Je jure que je vais tuer ce bien pour rien d'un crétin l'ex-meilleur ami!"

"Who was that?" I asked, very frustrated myself.

"That would have been Brandon." Edward said, resting his face into one of his hands. "Bien ce freaking suce."

"Are you swearing?"

"I wish I was." He responded simply.

I looked down at the ground, finding that tears were stinging at my eyes. Was it like fate or something? Were we just not meant to kiss..._ever_? "I actually should be heading home...I um...promised Haley that I was going to go out for ice cream tonight."

Edward nodded and offered his hand to me as we walked out to my truck in silence.

Once we got there I leaned against the driver's side door and looked up at him. He still seemed to be muttering things in French, but they were too quiet for me to hear.

"Edward." I said, snapping him out of his trance. "Are you ever going to come back to Phoenix after you go back to LA in the summer?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I just wondered. You have always said that you belong in LA, and you really don't feel at home here anymore."

"Do you want me to come back to Phoenix?"

"I think you should." I said, smiling a little. "Once a year, every year, for two weeks at a time."

"Once a year, every year, for two weeks at a time?" He repeated, walking closer to me. "Ok Bella, I'll tell you what. As long as you're here in Phoenix, I'll make a point to visit once a year, every year, for two weeks at a time."

"You promise?"

"I promise." He said, gently planting a kiss on my forehead. "Goodbye Bella, be careful driving home alright? And have fun with Haley tonight."

"Thanks Edward, goodbye." I said, watching him as he walked up to the front porch.

I opened my door to climb up into the truck when I realized something. "Hey Edward." I called after him, wondering if he heard me.

He must have, because he stopped walking and turned around to look at me. "Yes Bella?"

"Why did you say that you'd only make a point to visit if _I _was here?"

"Well Bella." He said as his gorgeous smile spread across his face. "Phoenix wouldn't be Phoenix without it's sunshine...would it?"

I merely smiled as I climbed into my truck.

But once I figured that Edward was out of hearing range, I did what any other girl would do after Edward Cullen said something like that to her.

I let out the most insane fan girlish scream in the whole world.

And when I happened to look up at the house, I saw he was standing there on the front porch, laughing at me.

* * *

**I know they didn't kiss....I know you all hate me...I know! Sorry! :) Please don't hurt me....I love you guys...hehe.**

**Hey hate Brandon...not me. He's the one who actually interupted them...I am merely the author. :D**

**Hope you guys enjoyed it!  
**

**~Hazl~  
**


	20. Chapter 20

**Just because it was brought to my attention...in the last chapter Edward said "kiss me" to Bella in French. I was having translator issues, and all the different sites I were using kept translating kiss me as "embrace me" so when I just typed "kiss" into the translator I got "baiser"...and I just plugged it into context. Even when I translated it back to English I was getting "kiss me"...but it apparently means something different. I apologize...I swear these translators have gotten worse than when I started using them for this story.**

**And for those of you who wondered...my school put on "Bye Bye Birdie" as our musical. I played Doris MacAfee. :)**

**Without further ado...here is your chapter. I think you'll like something that happens in this one. :)  
**

**

* * *

****Chapter 20**

Haley and I rode with Natasha to Edward's party on New Year's Eve. When we arrived there were already a ton of cars parked in his drive, and a group of a about ten or so people ran into his house as we pulled in. I was oddly excited for the party, which I found strange since parties aren't usually things that excite me. But for some reason I had a good feeling about that night, like something fantastic was about to happen.

I wore my usual black and red dress that I wore any other time I needed to dress up. I really liked that dress...don't ask me why...I just did.

Natasha looked cute as ever. She had on this little white cocktail dress that was decorated with a print of pink roses around the top. It really suited her, but I would never wear something like it.

Haley of course, had created her own dress. It looked very club-worthy, and was actually a lot more normal in appearance than most of her creations were. It was green-blue in color, covered in beads along the body, and then feathers all around the bottom. She was proud of herself for coming up with it.

"Do you guys have some kind of a weird feeling about tonight?" I asked them as we got out of the car and headed to the front door.

"I have a feeling that I'm going to need to use the bathroom in about five minutes." Haley said, skipping along. "Is that the kind of weird feeling you're talking about?

"No Haley." I said, shaking my head. "That's not what I meant."

"If it's of any help Bella, I'm under the slight impression that tonight is going to be a very special night." Natasha said.

"Thank you Natasha, that's more like what I was looking for."

"Why, do you think something is going to happen tonight?" She asked me.

"Kind of, but I'm not sure why."

"Maybe it's because of what is standing in front of you." She said smiling.

I turned around to notice that we were now standing in the front of Edward's house. Music poured out from the living room, flashing lights bounced off the walls in every direction, and Gazpacho was rushing to the snack table with a tray of cookies. But what was even more amazing than any element of this scene was the fact that Edward was standing right in front of me.

"Good evening ladies." He said, smiling at Haley and then Natasha. "How are you tonight?"

"Wonderful, thank you Edward." Natasha replied.

"Feathery as ever, thanks hot stuff." Haley said.

Edward laughed and looked over at me. "Well you guys have fun tonight alright? Enjoy yourselves."

"Ok!" They both chimed, dashing away quickly to leave Edward and I alone.

"Hello Bella." He said, hugging me close.

"Hi Edward." I said, wrapping my arms tightly around his neck and pulling myself closer. "This really looks like it's going to be an awesome party."

"Yeah I think it is." He said, releasing me. "Nice dress."

I looked down at myself. "Ha, thanks. You don't look too bad yourself."

"Really?" He asked, doing a little spin. "I _never_ would have guessed."

He looked extra gorgeous that night. He had on a gray dress shirt which was covered by his usual black suit jacket. His jeans were light in color with various rips and tears along the sides. He just looked plain sexy...there's no other way to put it. Of course, Edward obviously was under the impression that he looked sexy that night, according to the way he was acting.

I laughed at him. "So what's Rosalie doing tonight?"

He led me over to the snack table. "Heck if I know. She's having a party at her house right now, so who knows what she's up to."

"I'm sure she's being _extremely_ faithful to you." I joked.

"Yeah, the day she starts being faithful to me is the day that I'm no longer reeking sexiness, and we all know that day will never come."

I merely laughed.

"What?" He asked.

"You are such a dork...you know?"

"A dork? Well at least I'm a sexy dork."

I laughed again. "Edward I swear."

He laughed as well. "Well wasn't I right?"

"About what?"

"That Rosalie is never going to be faithful to me."

"Well duh you were right."

"Thank you, that's all I needed to know."

"Maybe you could arrange it so that Rosalie is no longer unfaithful to you, but to someone else." I said, leaning against the snack table and taking a potato chip.

He seemed confused. "Are you trying to tell me I should break up with her?"

"Ding, ding ding! We have a winner ladies and gentlemen!" I called, taking another chip.

He rolled his eyes and placed his hands in his pockets. "Bella I just can't."

"Yes you can." I said. "You don't love her, and she doesn't love you."

"I know."

"You know Edward, you're never going to be able to be with this girl that you love as long as you're dating Rosalie."

"I know." He mumbled again.

"Then why don't you break up with her? You don't need her to stay famous, we discussed that."

"No I don't need her." He said. "I've realized that now."

"And so what if she whines and complains about it for five days at a time? That's no reason to date her, just because you want her to shut up."

He nodded his head. "I really do need to break up with her."

"Then once you do you'll be able to pursue this girl that you love."

"So when do I do it?"

"Do what?"

"Break up with Rosalie?"

"Well in my opinion you should have never dated her in the first place."

"That's not much help Bella."

"I know, I just like teasing you."

"Wow, that's something I was completely unaware of."

I gently smacked the side of his arm. "Shut up. This is a serious matter."

"Ok, sorry." He said, smiling and raising his hands up in surrender.

It was then that I thought of something.. "Now." I said.

"What?" He asked, not understanding what I meant.

"Break up with her now!" I cried excitedly, jumping up and down a bit.

"Now? As in tonight, now?"

"Yes stupid...tonight now!"

"_Tonight?_" He asked, seeming frightened. "Maybe not tonight. How about next week sometime?"

"Edward!" I said, grabbing onto his arm. "You've waited _way_ too long to do this. Why wait longer?"

"Because I was not prepared to break up with my extremely crazy and annoying girlfriend tonight."

"You're never going to be prepared for it, and you really don't need to be. This isn't a movie Edward, there's no script for you to study beforehand. You just have to do it when the time is right."

"Yeah and tonight is not the right time."

"Edward for goodness sakes! You are so in love with this one girl that you are going to die without her. You talked all about how you've wasted precious time and haven't taken the opportunity to let her know how you feel. Do you really want to waste more time? Because that time you're wasting could seriously be a matter of life or death for you, and you should not let something as stupid as not wanting to call things off with Rosalie be the reason for ending your life!!!"

He looked over at me. "You're right, you're totally right."

"So are you gonna do it?" I asked anxiously.

He looked up at the ceiling before he shifted his gaze back to me. "Yeah, I'm going to."

"Tonight?"

"It'll be a good way to start of the New Year." He said, leaning over and kissing me gently on the forehead. "I'll be right back Bella...ok?"

"Alright." I said, resting one of my hands on his cheek.

"I want you to be with me when I do it." He said. "I'll go back in the hall and try to call her. I just have to go do something first."

"Ok." I said, as we finally pulled away from each other. He smiled at me before he took off across the room toward the kitchen. Gazpacho was coming out of the kitchen door just as Edward arrived over there. The two of them exchanged a few words before Gazpacho motioned back to the kitchen and Edward slipped inside.

_Does he need a glass of water or something?_ I thought, wondering what he had to do in the kitchen before he broke up with Rosalie.

Gazpacho came over to the snack table where I was standing. "Excuse me Isabella, I need to sit these pretzels there beside the chips."

"Oh sorry Gazpacho." I said, moving out of his way. Gazpacho set the pretzels down on the table.

"Are you having fun at the party?" He asked me.

"I just got here...so I haven't really seen many people or done much."

"The two of you did a very good job decorating the other day."

"Thanks." I said, looking around at the decorations hung throughout the room.

"He was very excited about this party." Gazpacho said, smiling at me. "He's been pretty happy these past few days."

"Is that unusual for him?" I asked, because Edward always seemed to be happy. Even though he truthfully admitted he normally wasn't happy, at least most people thought he was always happy.

Gazpacho just laughed. "Well if you were me, yes that would be unusual."

I was so confused, but decided not to continue asking about it in order to prevent more confusion. "What was he doing? Do you know?" I asked, pointing toward the kitchen.

Gazpacho glanced back to where I pointed. "Oh shoot, I have to go back in there." He said, rubbing his forehead. "I swear that boy is the reason for this intense pain in my head."

"What is he doing?" I asked again.

"Ah he is just, going in the kitchen...who knows with him."

I laughed. "Do you have kids Gazpacho?"

"No...and after seeing Emmett, Edward, Alice, and Emmett...I never will."

I laughed at the fact that he said Emmett's name twice. I glanced back at Emmett, who was rocking out the tunes on the DJ booth.

"Nice talking with you Isabella...but I must go find out what that crazy boy wants." Gazpacho said, gesturing toward the kitchen. "Have fun, enjoy the food Gazpacho prepared, and by the way...you look extraordinarily beautiful tonight."

I smiled. "Thanks Gazpacho."

Gazpacho shook his head and sighed. "He is so, so stupid." He said, not bothering to explain as he turned around and headed toward the kitchen.

"Ok then." I said, even more confused than I was before. I decided that while I was waiting for Edward I might as well try to explore the other aspects of the party, so I looked around the room to try and find my friends. Natasha was out on the dance floor dancing with a few of her friends on the basketball cheerleading squad, so I immediately ruled out going over there, since dancing is not my thing. Haley was no where in sight, and I wondered if she was still using the bathroom. I sighed and shrugged my shoulders, deciding to go up to the DJ booth and say hey to Emmett.

I still had no idea what Edward needed in the kitchen that was going to help him break up with Rosalie. Maybe he was going ask Gazpacho if he could borrow one of his large knives, take it to LA, and give Rosalie what she deserved.

Who was I kidding? Edward would never do that to anyone, not even Rosalie.

But _I_ thought it sounded like a good idea.

* * *

Edward didn't reappear for about another half an hour or so. During that time period I held a short conversation with Emmett, and then ran off to try and find Haley. After searching throughout Edward's house, I discovered Haley approaching the snack table. She was busy putting some feathers in the punch. She informed me that once she saw that the punch was featherless, she ran out to Wal-Mart to get some feathers for it, hence the reason I couldn't find her. The two of us hung out for a little while until Edward came out of the kitchen. Gazpacho followed behind him with two different trays of food.

"Here he comes!" Haley said, smiling at me. I had told her about everything that happened while she was gone.

"Yep...see ya!" I called to her as I walked over to Edward. I heard Haley asking Gazpacho if there were feathers in the brownies he was carrying to the table.

"Hey." Edward said, smiling at me.

"Hey." I replied. "What the heck were you doing in there?"

"In there?" Edward asked, pointing back toward the kitchen. "Nothing, why?"

"Well you said you had to go do something, and then next thing I know you've disappeared into the kitchen for half an hour."

"I was just trying to plan things out in quiet...that's all." He said, taking out his cell phone and pressing a few buttons. "I can't concentrate in all this noise."

"But you can make a phone call?"

"Um...yeah." He said, shaking his head. "Come back here." He said, directing me into the hallway.

"Why are we going in the hallway?" I asked him.

"Because I'm sexy and I can do what I want...that's why." He responded, leaning against the wall.

"Who are you trying to call?" I asked, standing in front of him. The hallway was dark, the only source of light was the disco ball in the living room. There weren't many people around, just the occasional guy or girl using the bathroom.

"Rosalie." He said, hanging up the phone with a sigh.

"Is she not answering?"

"No, she's not." Edward said, seeming aggravated. "That's the twenty-fifth time I've called her."

"You have called her twenty-five times and she hasn't answered?"

"Nope." He said. "I know her phone is on and with her because she always has her phone."

"Maybe she can't hear it because the music at her party is so loud."

"Then tell me why Jasper and Alice who are both there as well answered their phones the first time I called them."

"She's ignoring you." I said, all of it fitting into place now. "But why?"

"Ever since she was up here before Thanksgiving break she's been very odd acting. Used to I could call her and she'd at least leave a message once she got my call, even if it was three days later. But now if I ever want to get a hold of her I can't. She rarely ever even answers my texts any more."

"Why is that?"

"She's afraid I'm going to break up with her, and she knows I'm too chicken to do it in person, which is why she doesn't avoid me too much then. She knows that if I was going to break up with her I'd do so over the phone, so she just doesn't answer so that I can't do it."

"That's actually kind of smart."

"Yes smart, but quite aggravating."

"You could just leave a message on her answering machine."

"Then knowing her she'll listen to it but then pretend like she never got it and still act like she's my girlfriend. No that won't work, I have to actually speak to her."

"Sorry Edward." I said, taking a step closer to him. "I don't know what else you could try."

"Wait a minute." Edward said, looking like he figured something out. "I can call her home phone. One of the servants is due to answer it, and then if I ask for Rosalie they'll tell her she has a phone call...she'll come answer the phone then because she won't know it's me."

I smiled. "Good idea Edward."

"Yeah, well I'm pretty much a big deal." He said, dialing on his cell phone again.

I shook my head and laughed. "Oh please."

He laughed too and put his free hand on my side, pulling me closer to him. I placed one of my hands on his shoulder and allowed my head to rest against his chest.

"I'll put this on speaker phone." He said, hitting another button. Not too long afterwords a timid female voice answered.

"Hello, this is the Hale residence, home to Jasper and the amazingly beautiful Rosalie Hale. This is Lynn speaking...how may I be of service to you?"

"It's their maid." Edward whispered to me.

"The amazingly beautiful Rosalie?" I questioned.

"She told all her servants to say that." He whispered again before responding to the voice on the other line. "Hello Lynn, this is Edward calling...how are you this evening?"

"Oh Edward!" The girl said. "I'm lovely thank you. How have you been?"

"Alright, thank you." He said, smiling at me. "Lynn I've been trying to get a hold of Rosalie this evening, but she isn't answering her phone. Do you think that you could get her for me?"

"Certainly Edward...she just walked by a second ago."

"Thank you Lynn, it's much appreciated."

"I'll go fetch her right away."

"Lynn could you please make sure that you don't tell her it's me that called?"

According to the pause on the other end of the line you could tell that Lynn was slightly confused by Edward's request. "Well of course Edward, if that's what you want."

"It is Lynn, thank you."

"Ok, she'll be here in just a moment." Lynn replied, and the other line went silent.

"Bingo." Edward whispered in my ear, causing me to giggle. "What are you laughing at?" He asked.

"Nothing." I whispered, taking a deep breath in order to inhale his scent. I loved being so close to him, it was such an amazing feeling. I didn't even care about the weird looks all the people that were using the restroom kept giving us. Why should I care? I was snuggling up to _Edward Cullen_, nothing else really mattered at that moment.

"I can't believe you're making me do this." He said, continuing to talk in a whisper.

"You'll love me for it, trust me."

He laughed slightly. "Bella, Bella, Bella...dear, sweet Bella."

"What?" I asked, laughing slightly as well before some shuffling was heard on the other line.

"Hello?" Rosalie's familiar authoritative voice said over the phone. "This is Rosalie."

"Hey Rose." Edward said, waiting for her response.

Rosalie was quiet for quite some time before she spoke again. "Edward dear...I just saw that you called me. That's where I was heading off to...outside so I could call you."

"Well aren't you lucky that you didn't have to walk all the way outside to have to talk to me on the phone?" He asked.

"Yes I guess I am very lucky." She said, not seeming satisfied with him. "So what's up?"

"Not much, just thought I'd call my girlfriend and wish her a happy New Year....since she didn't want to come to Phoenix and be with me."

"Well happy New Year to my boyfriend who just _had_ to leave LA to be back in Phoenix for a large portion of his Christmas break."

"How is your party going?" He asked her, obviously trying to just strike up some general conversation with her before cutting to the chase.

"Oh fantastic! You really should be here, everyone misses you."

"I'm sure they do."

"The music is great, the food is great, the whole party is just great!"

"Well that's nice." He said, rolling his eyes at her. "So are you going to ask me about my party?"

"Yeah you're having a party tonight too aren't you?" She asked, making it clear she had forgot about it up until then. "How is it?"

"I am having an absolute blast." He said, trying to over exaggerate things.

"I'm sure it would be even more fun if I was there."

"Well I guess I'd never know, since you wouldn't want to be here even if I paid you to come."

"Edward baby, what's wrong with you?"

"Nothing."

"You know Edward, you have been quite difficult to deal with here recently."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well you don't act the same way around me anymore. You're more distant, and you don't abide to my every need and wish as much as you used to."

"And you think that's a bad thing?" He asked.

"Duh it's a bad thing! Boyfriends are supposed to treat their girlfriends like princesses."

"Yeah but they are not supposed to act like their servant." Edward said.

"You don't act like my servant."

"Excuse me?" He asked, and it was obvious he was starting to get ticked off.

"Well you don't. You're my boyfriend, you should do everything I ask you to do for me."

"Look up the definition of boyfriend in the dictionary would you? If you even know how to read one."

"See Edward this is what I'm talking about." Rosalie said. "You've been rather sharp with me lately. What happened to the loving guy I started dating two years ago?"

"He disappeared after he realized that you never were a loving girl."

She paused for a moment. "Babe...you know I love you. I always tell you that."

"Just because you say it doesn't mean that you mean it."

"What makes you think that?"

"Because that's the way people like us work Rosalie...actors and actresses. We say things we don't mean all the time. It's part of our job to pretend to be something we're not, so it's only natural that same behavior leaks into our real lives as well."

"So how do you know that just because I'm an actress, that I don't really mean it when I tell you I love you?"

"Well I'm an actor and I don't mean it when I tell you I love you."

Rosalie squealed in absolute horror. "Edward! You don't really mean that!"

"Oh I mean _that_." He said. "But I don't mean it when I tell you I love you, and you don't mean it either."

"That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard in my whole life!"

"Even dumber than hearing your own voice?" Edward said, and it took all I had in me to keep myself from laughing.

"Edward Cullen what is wrong with you?" She asked, seeming rather disgusted with him.

"What's wrong with me? I'll tell you what's wrong with me. You."

"Me? What have I got to do with it?"

"You have everything to do with it. You are the reason I act like this."

"How do I cause you to behave in such a manner?"

"Because you tick me off so much I want to scream!" He said.

"I tick you off?" She asked, seeming surprised.

"Of course you do! Rosalie for goodness sakes...you've cheated on me countless times and you treat me like crap. Isn't that reason enough to flat out despise you at times?"

"I do not treat you like crap first off, and you shouldn't let the fact that I've been with a few other guys while I've been with you bother you so much."

"Well excuse me, because it does. Something about my girlfriend cheating on me just doesn't send good vibes through my head."

"What are you trying to imply Edward?"

"Rosalie I want you to listen to me. I don't want you to interrupt. I just want you to let me talk, and you just keep your input to yourself."

"I can't guarantee that...but go ahead, talk."

"When I first met you Rosalie, I'm not kidding that I was in total awe at the sight of you. Any teenage boy like me would have been. I had so many new and exciting things being thrown at me at once, a promising blockbuster movie, instant fame and fortune, and then the world's greatest actress was showing romantic interest in me. It was like an amazing dream come true, and I fell for the spell that you cast on me. I believed every word you said and for those first few months I thought you were one of the most amazing people in the world."

"Then what changed things?" She asked.

"I started to uncover your true nature, and see who you really were. I discovered that you were a self-centered, bratty, spoiled, snotty, rotten, evil, possessive, rude, obnoxious, cheating, bi..." He paused. "Bigfoot."

"Bigfoot?" I whispered to him, laughing slightly.

"It's a lot better than what I was going to say."He whispered back.

"Hey my feet are not _that_ big! I know that they disgust Jasper sometimes, but even the most amazing people of the human race have flaws." Rosalie fired back, too stupid to realize what Edward had really wanted to say.

"Not me." Edward said proudly. "Rosalie what I'm trying to say is that I never was in love with you, I just thought I was in love with the person you pretended to be. And Rose you know that the only reason you keep me around is because you're afraid you'll no longer be famous without me. Truthfully, that was one of the main reasons I kept you around so long."

"You lie Edward Cullen!" Rosalie spat back.

"I don't lie, I act...and you do too." He said. "I've now came to the realization that I don't need you to stay famous, in fact I never needed you to become famous. People fell for me just because of me, not because of you."

"But I need you Edward!" She whined, starting to realize what Edward was getting at.

"Rosalie you are beautiful, I'll give you that. You are also a talented actress. You were famous long before I ever came into the world of fame. You don't need me as long as you clean up your behavior a bit and continue to star in more movies. But as long as you keep cheating on guys, more people are going to grow to hate you because of the things you do. You can't just sleep with whoever you want because your boyfriend wants to save himself until after marriage. That isn't right Rosalie, and you know it."

"I wouldn't have to sleep around if my boyfriend didn't have such stupid old-fashioned morals." She snapped back.

"My morals are not completely old-fashioned. I said I would give myself to someone before marriage if I knew it was the girl I'd marry someday, and after everything you've done to me Rosalie, I know you are not that girl."

"Yes I am. Edward what has gotten into you?"

"Courage." He said simply. "Two years I have tried to gather up the courage to break things off with you, and for two years I've been too scared to do it. But I'm tired of all of it. I'm tired of having to deal with all the complications surrounding our relationship, I'm tired of all your crap, and I'm tired of living this act every day of my freaking life! I need to end this once and for all, and the time to do so is right now."

"Are you breaking up with me?" She asked, her voice intense and angry sounding.

"Rosalie Hale, yes...I am breaking up with you...for good. No amount of messages left on my cell phone, no amount of begging, whining, pleading, nothing...is going to make me change my mind. We are done forever, and I expect you to respect that fact. I am ready to finally be happy for once in my life." He said, gently pushing a stray piece of hair behind my ear.

"You are going to regret this so much."

He laughed. "Oh no...I think the only thing I'll regret is the fact that I didn't do this sooner."

"I can't believe this." She said. "What prompted you to do this?"

"I want to be done with all the drama and move on with my life."

"I don't think that's it." She said.

"Then what else is it Rosalie? I just told you my reasoning."

"But that's not it at all. I think the only reason you're breaking up with me is because of that girl Be..."

Suddenly her voice cut off and I looked up at Edward to see what had happened. "Where did she go?"

"No where....I hung up." He said, frantically spitting out the words.

"Why did you hang up?" I asked, extremely confused. If I heard right, it sounded like Rosalie was getting ready to say _my_ name.

"Sometimes when I leave my phone on speaker phone for too long it overheats, and I have to hang up or the thing will just explode all over the place." He said, looking down at his phone. "I'm just gonna go finish this call in the bathroom ok? I'll be right back."

"Sure." I said as Edward pushed past me and into the bathroom. I could obviously tell he wasn't telling the truth, but I had no idea why. I didn't have to wait real long before he came back.

"Well I have a feeling she's going to hate me for a long time." Edward said, coming back to stand beside me.

"She probably will." I said, looking up at him and smiling. "So how does it feel?"

"Really good actually. I felt so powerful, finally telling her everything. That was nice."

"See you should have listened to me all along and broke up with her a long time ago."

He laughed slightly and pulled me closer to him. "Oh Bella, if there's anything I've learned it's that I should have listened to a lot of the things you told me in the past."

I rested my head on his chest again. "Ha, it's so funny to hear you say something like that."

"Thank you so much." He said to me, talking in a whisper again, even though he was no longer on the phone.

I let out a small laugh. "For what?"

"For everything. For encouraging me to do what I just did. For helping me when I've had problems, whether they concerned my life or my writing."

I laughed again.

"For just...."He paused, gently kissing the top of my forehead. "....being you."

"You're welcome I guess." I said, looking up at him. I don't know why, but something gave me the urge to kiss him on the cheek, so I did. "I'm really proud of you Edward."

He was silent for a long time before he said anything in response. "You don't know how much that means to me."

I smiled at him and he smiled back before glancing back out into the living room.

"Should we go back out there?" I asked him, looking in the same direction he was.

"Ah yeah we probably should." He said, pulling away from me and walking toward the party area. "People are bound to be wondering what we're up to."

"I'm sure they are." I said, walking with Edward out into the living room. After being in the dark hallway all of the bright lights really bugged my eyes.

Edward and I chatted as we slowly walked across the room, when I looked up and saw Brandon standing near the snack table. Edward must have noticed him too, because he stopped talking as soon as I glanced in that direction.

Brandon was looking off into the distance, toward the DJ booth. But it wasn't long before he turned around and noticed us just walking out of the hallway together. His expression instantly changed from one of boredom to that of anger and jealousy.

"Aw crap he's gonna freak." Edward whispered to me, staying still where he was.

Brandon seriously did look like he was going to explode before he suddenly punched the snack table, sending food flying everywhere. "Cullen!!!!" He yelled, obviously upset. Almost everyone in the room saw him, and started laughing.

"What is all the noise about?" Gazpacho asked, peeking his head out of the kitchen door. When he noticed that Brandon had destroyed his snack table he seemed horrified. "Brandon why did you have to take your anger out on my nice snack table?" He asked, storming over to where Brandon stood.

Rather than be attacked by Gazpacho, who was waving around a metal spatula, Brandon made a mad dash for the corner of the room. Everyone laughed at him as he ran away, including Edward and I.

"Wow." Edward said, watching his ex-best friend take off to his hiding place. "Just wow."

"That's exactly what I was thinking." I said, looking over at Edward. "He is quite the character."

"Yeah he is." Edward said, placing his hands in the pockets of his suit jacket. "He wants to kiss you at midnight."

I laughed. "Well too bad for him, because that isn't happening."

Edward laughed as well. "Yeah that's what I figured." He said, as a smile started to creep along his face, the kind of smile he got when he had an idea.

"Oh gosh, what are you thinking now?" I asked him.

"I just had the most brilliant freaking idea ever!" He said, suddenly seeming very excited. "You go find Natasha or Haley or someone....I'll be right back!" He called after me as he took off running into the kitchen. I watched the door slam shut behind him, only to see it open seconds later. "Gazpacho!" Edward yelled over the music to him.

"Yes?" Gazpacho asked, straightening up the snack table Brandon destroyed.

"Get in here." Edward said simply before disappearing back into the cover of the kitchen. Gazpacho merely sighed and walked into the kitchen to see what Edward wanted.

"So weird." I said to myself, shaking my head to clear the confusion out of it. I swore that he was crazy...he just had to be.

What kind of idea did he get? We were just talking about Brandon. What was he going to do now...stab Brandon instead of Rosalie? That seemed like something he would want to do.

Instead of bothering to look for my friends I sat down on one of the couches and yawned. I noticed that Brandon had came back into the main part of the room, and he made his way over to his group while they laughed at him.

I thought about how Edward said that Brandon probably wanted to kiss me at midnight. I wouldn't doubt that he did. But unfortunately for him, I was not going to kiss him at midnight, or at any other time for that matter. Thinking about that made me think about Rosalie. I wondered who she was going to kiss at midnight now that her and Edward were over. Of course, knowing her she more than likely already had someone lined up to kiss when the clock struck twelve. She more than likely also had someone else to sleep with before the night was through. I'm sure that Edward's breaking up with her didn't mess up her plans that much.

That made me wonder about Edward. Who was he going to kiss at midnight? Surely he'd kiss somebody. Even if he was still with Rosalie he would have had to kiss someone. How can Edward Cullen not kiss someone on New Year's Eve? Maybe he was going to have some kind of contest, like a game of pool, a dance off, or see which girl could eat the most cupcakes, and then let the winner kiss him at midnight. That sounded like something Edward would do. If that was the case my chances of kissing him were screwed, because I suck at pool, I cannot dance, and I can only eat like two cupcakes at a time.

But maybe Edward wasn't going to do anything like that. After all, the girl he loved went to our school, didn't she? So regardless of who that girl was, whether it was me or not, she was probably there. Why would Edward want to kiss a girl that he didn't love...especially after he just ended things with Rosalie? It therefore seemed more likely that maybe he wouldn't kiss anyone at all.

However, if the girl he loved was indeed me, which I was like ninety percent it was....I could make sure he got his midnight kiss.

The wheels all started to turn in my mind, and I was finding my newly discovered plan quite exciting. Maybe that's why I had such a good feeling about that night, is because of this idea I now had.

I was so excited about my plan that I thought I was going to blow up if I didn't tell someone about it immediately. I frantically searched around the room for Haley and Natasha, and after what seemed like hours I finally found them standing by the DJ booth talking to Emmett.

I flew up off of the couch and pushed my way through the crowd to get to my friends so that I could share my idea with them. It was such a good idea! Why had I not thought about it before I came?

In my normal fashion I tripped in the middle of the dance floor, drawing everyone's attention to myself. Everyone was now laughing at me instead of Brandon...but I really didn't care. I pulled myself up quickly, but grew frustrated when I saw that Haley and Natasha were no longer where they had been seconds before.

I spun in circles around the room, trying to find them, but no such luck. Then I thought I saw them standing over by the front door, and I took off in that direction. But my fall must have really messed up my head, because when I arrived at the place I thought they were standing the only things there were a potted plant and a white balloon.

Biting my lip in frustration, I looked to both sides of me to see if they happened to be standing there, but they weren't.

"Guys where are you?" I said to myself, continuing to look around the room. "I have a really good idea to tell you!"

After a few more glances around the room I gave up and leaned against the wall. My head kind of hurt, and I wondered if either of the girls had anything for headaches in their purse. Of course that required finding them first.

"Such a good idea." I repeated to myself, looking up at the wall above me. Hanging there above my head, was the clock. It read 10:30 pm.

"Oh crap." I said, sinking down to the floor. Midnight was only an hour and a half away.

My idea suddenly seemed more frightening than it had before.

* * *

**Yea! Edward broke up with Rosalie! *Cheers for Edward* Congratulations babe! Keep being sexy...lol.**

**What did you think about this chapter? How about all of that confusing stuff with Edward always running into the kitchen? What about that thing Gazpacho said that puzzled Bella? What was Rosalie going to say before Edward "had to" hang up? What was Edward's idea? And where the heck are Haley and Natasha at?**

**That's a lot of questions to answer huh? Lol, well regardless of all the confusion...I hope you guys enjoyed it!**

**If you'd like to see what Haley and Natasha's dresses look like I have links up on my profile. I think you all should know what Bella's dress looks like by now...lol.  
**

**Hint for the next chapter....it's a big deal. ;)**

**~Hazl~  
**


	21. Chapter 21

**I have some amazing news for everyone! Just Acting was nominated for "best fan fiction of the year so far" in the "Twilight All Human Fan Fiction Awards!" I am so overjoyed about this it's insane, you should have seen my reaction after finding out I was nominated. Actually, if you would have seen my reaction you probably would have thought I was crazy...lol. Now I thought that was amazing...but then I discovered I was nominated for yet another award! My portrayal of Edward was nominated as "Best Edward" in the "Giggle Snort Awards!" However I did not receive enough nominations to put me through to the voting process for this particular award, but I'm still happy that I was nominated!  
**

**Anyway I have a lot more information about the voting process for the "Twilight All Human Fan Fiction Awards" on my profile page if you would care to look. I'd just like to thank all of you for making this possible. Just Acting would not be right without all of my lovely readers! Also, while you're looking at my profile you'll notice that I recently pimped it out. There's a ton of new stuff on there that I added to make it a bit more interesting.  
**

**Speaking of you readers being so lovely...your reviews from the last chapter were so awesome! I really love coming on here to read your reviews because every time I do I find a smile spreading across my face, no matter how bad of a day I had before the moment I sat down at the computer. You guys are all so sweet! **

**Since you are all such amazing people, I think you guys really deserve an amazing chapter...don't you? Well hopefully you think this chapter is amazing...because here it is. :) It may be a bit shorter than others, but that's out of pure necessity. You should see why, if not I can explain it to you. :)  
**

**

* * *

****Chapter 21**

"Bella!" I heard Haley's familiar voice shout over the crowd. Her voice snapped me out of the trance I had fallen into after discovering that midnight wasn't very far away. I saw Haley running towards me, a look of panic on her face.

"Hey Haley...where did you go?" I asked her.

"Why are you on the floor?" She basically shouted at me, probably so that I could hear her over the music. "Did the feather master take away your wings?"

I looked up at her in confusion. "Haley...where the heck were you at?" I repeated, laughing a little at my friend's stupidity.

"Well Natasha and I were standing...over...there." Haley said, frantically looking around before she pointed toward the DJ booth. "We were talking to Emmett when...bam! It's like some little hummingbird sped through the air and knocked over his margarita!"

"So what does that have to do with anything?"

"Emmett's margarita spilled all over Natasha's dress, staining it the color of a happy parrot on a Tuesday morning after it had a nice bowl of birdseed."

"Haley?" I asked.

"Yeah my bestest best friend who is the bestest?" She asked, offering me a huge grin.

"You are so strange."

"I know, but you see Bella, we must embrace our inner strangeness and learn to fly with the rest of the flock."

I laughed at her. "Basically what you're trying to say is that Natasha's dress is ruined?"

"Yeah!" She screamed excitedly. "She's in the bathroom right now, that's where we were."

"That makes sense." I said, getting up off of the floor.

"But you see Bella...I have a huge problem! The hot pink thread I need to sew her a new dress is not in my purse! I think the demon birds took it from me because I swore at them this afternoon."

"Where is your hot pink thread Haley?" I asked, ignoring the last part of her statement.

She looked like she was thinking for a moment before her face lit up. "I know! I left it at your house!"

"In your sewing kit that's in my closet?"

"That's where it is." She said, nodding her head. "I just know it."

"Do you want me to go get it?" I asked her, looking toward the kitchen. Edward still hadn't came out of there yet, which made me wonder what he was talking about with Gazpacho.

"Would you?" She asked. "Then I could stay with Natasha and work on the parts of the dress I don't need the hot pink thread for."

"Sure, just get me Natasha's keys and I'll drive to my place and get it."

"Alright!" Haley said, wrapping me up in a tight hug. "I knew I loved you for a reason!"

"Thanks Haley." I choked out. "But if you really loved me, you'd let go so I could breathe."

She jumped away quickly. "Oh sorry! My bad!"

"It's fine Haley...just hurry up and go get the keys."

"Gotcha!" She shouted to me as she ran off toward the bathroom.

I didn't see any harm in stopping by my house to pick up the thread. Having something to do would distract me from the fact that midnight was approaching closer and closer with each second. As I drove to my house in Natasha's convertible I thought about my plan. It still sounded like a brilliant idea to me, but I wanted to run it by Haley and Natasha first. Of course I figured it would meet their approval.

My house was dark and empty. Mom and Phil had gone to a party at one of their friend's houses, so no one was home. I tossed Natasha's car keys into my purse as I walked through the living room. I wanted to hurry up and get Haley's thread so that I could get back to Edward's house and talk to her and Natasha. It was hard to see clearly in the dark, so I turned on my bedroom light. Paix was sitting on the bed where I had left him that morning. I couldn't help but smile at the little stuffed panda as I walked into my closet. My closet didn't have a light switch, and it was especially hard to see clearly in it at night.

"Where is it at?" I asked myself, looking up at the top shelf. I thought I noticed the familiar shape of Haley's sewing kit behind a couple of empty shoe boxes. Realizing I didn't have anything to stand on in order to reach the top shelf effectively, I just decided to grab a clothes hanger and try to knock her sewing kit off of the shelf. The first couple of tries were unsuccessful, and I was growing quite aggravated with myself. There was another box underneath the sewing kit, and I kept hitting it accidentally. I finally managed to get the sewing kit off of the shelf, but a few empty shoe boxes and the box underneath it came tumbling down as well, spilling random objects all over my closet floor.

"Dang it, how do I know which one is hot pink?" I said to myself, getting down on my hands and knees to skim the floor for the thread. I just started picking up anything that looked like a spool of thread, rather than bothering to walk out into my room and examine each one to see if it was hot pink. While I was doing so I felt something slightly crinkly underneath my hands, sort of like a piece of paper. I picked it up, curious as to what the mysterious object was.

"What is this?" I asked, picking up the last spool of thread I saw before walking out into my room. Once I was in the light, I could easily tell what the unknown object was.

Apparently the box underneath Haley's sewing kit was the box I stored the various objects I was hiding from Edward, just in case he ever came in my room. What I held in my hand was the napkin he signed for me two years ago before he left for LA. I hadn't looked at it in a long time. I used to spend a lot of time looking at it the first few weeks he was in LA. What was so interesting to me about that napkin, I was never really sure. But I used to spend hours just examining his signature, noting the perfect loops on the "l's" in Cullen, the way the "a" in Edward was nearly illegible, and how the line he drew directly bellow his name curved slightly in the middle. For some reason that napkin had always been an item of interest to me.

I turned to put the napkin back in it's rightful place, when I heard the hall clock chime loudly through the house. It was eleven o'clock, one hour until midnight.

"Crap!" I exclaimed carefully placing the napkin into my purse. I fished Natasha's keys out of there while I was at it, and quickly made my way back to Edward's house. As I walked back to the bathroom where Haley told me she would be waiting, I almost felt like a zombie. Everything was all a blur to me and the fact that midnight was approaching so soon was starting to take over my mind.

I gently knocked on the bathroom door to gain the attention of my friends. "Hey guys, it's me...Bella."

"Let her in Haley." I heard Natasha's voice say, and seconds later Haley opened the door for me.

"Hey Bella? You gots me thread?"

"She's under the impression that she's a pirate." Natasha stated, glancing up at Haley with a look of worry. "I can't believe I'm letting her make me a dress."

"Would you rather be naked?" Haley asked, digging through my purse to find the thread. "I don't think so."

I sat down on the bathroom floor, the cool tiles almost felt soothing to the touch. There was this intense pain in my stomach, and I swore I was going to throw up.

"Bella are you alright?" Natasha asked, while Haley started to work away on her dress.

"Yes, no, maybe...I'm not sure." I said, resting my head in my hands. "Guys I need some advice."

"Oh I'm really good at giving advice!" Natasha exclaimed, straightening the skirt of her margarita-stained dress. "What's the problem Bella?"

Even though Haley already knew that Edward was planning to break up with Rosalie I hadn't told her that he actually did it, and Natasha had no knowledge on the subject. So first I briefly informed them on that topic, before switching over to talking about my dilemma.

"So I just started thinking to myself and I was like...hey! I should try and kiss Edward at midnight tonight."

They were both silent, and Natasha's eyes grew wide as saucers.

"Bella!" She screeched, her voice ringing off of the walls.

"Holy freaking feathers." Haley said, starring at her needlework with her mouth wide open. "Get you some."

I laughed slightly. "I'm not getting me anything Haley...I just might _kiss_ him, that's all."

"Might kiss him? Girl you have to kiss him!" Natasha said to me.

"I take it you approve of my idea?"

"Of course!"

"But what if he doesn't want to kiss me?"

Both Natasha and Haley burst into wild fits of laughter.

"Oh Bella." Natasha said, almost sounding sympathetic.

"Hehe...Edward." Haley said, turning back to her creation with a satisfied look on her face.

"Bella you crazy girl." Natasha said, reaching forward to take my hands. "Were you not present when Edward read that paper in front of the class?"

"No I was there." I said, trying not to make eye contact with her.

"Now you tell me how there is any way in the world that girl he wrote about is anyone but you."

I looked down at the floor, not bothering to respond since it really wasn't necessary.

"You can't tell me you don't think it's you because you know it's so incredibly likely that it is you."

"I'm about ninety percent sure."

"Ninety percent? Bella I think you should be ninety-nine thousand percent sure." Natasha said. "Edward likes you, I've told you that for the longest time."

"Natasha." Haley said, wagging her finger at my encouraging friend. "You're wrong."

"What?" Both Natasha and I said at once.

"Eddiekins does not like Bella." Haley said, stitching a few more threads onto Natasha's new dress before turning back to us. "He _loves_ her."

"Haley please don't say that." I said, laughing in a nervous manner.

"Don't you want it to be true?" Haley asked.

"Well, yes I want it to be true...but it just seems too good to be true!"

"All of this should seem too good to be true!" Natasha said, walking over to examine her new dress. "Bella..._Edward Cullen_, the world's greatest actor, and the guy you have been head-over heels in love with for practically your whole life actually loves you back!"

"We don't know that for sure." I said, even though I knew what she was saying was right.

"Listen Bella, I know you have those regulations regarding your first kiss, but I really think you should throw those aside tonight and go with your idea." She encouraged.

"Yeah I mean...if you kiss sexy face, he won't be depressed anymore because he'll know that you love him." Haley said, adding in her two cents. "I say smooch him!"

"You guys really think so?" I asked, looking at each of them.

"Bella would we ever encourage you to do something if we thought it was going to hurt you?" Natasha asked me.

Haley snickered.

"Haley may." I said, laughing a bit. "But that's just because she's stupid and doesn't know what she's saying half the time."

"That be me...stupid." Haley said, smiling proudly.

"Kiss him Bella." Natasha said, reinstating our serious mood. "You won't regret it."

"Ok." I said, feeling a little less sick now. "I'll do it."

They both squealed and dragged me up off of the floor, gathering me up in a group hug.

"You know Bella this has given me an idea too." Haley said, running over to the sink where her cell phone was.

"What kind of idea Haley?" I asked her, as Natasha and I watched her with puzzled looks on our faces.

"I am breaking up with Rick!" She said, punching buttons on her phone, indicating she was sending a text. "The little butt face hasn't even sent me one text since he moved! What kind of a boyfriend is that?"

"A terrible one." I said, looking over at Natasha with a smile on my face.

"She actually went all these years thinking they were still together?" Natasha whispered to me.

"Hey you actually did walk into an electronics store and asked the clerk if you could buy a TV, when what you were pointing at was a microwave." I replied, giggling at the memory of one of Natasha's ultimate blonde moments.

"Shut it Bella." Natasha said, jokingly crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well that feels absolutely refreshing!" Haley exclaimed, throwing her phone into her purse. "Like a relaxing soak in the bird bath."

"How would you know what that's like?" Natasha asked her.

"I've tried...my butt doesn't fit in the bird bath too well." Haley said. "But it was still a relaxing experience."

We laughed at her. "It's true Natasha, I was there when she did it." I told her.

"Now I need someone to kiss tonight." Haley said, scratching her chin.

"Kiss Denver please. He's been chasing me around all night." Natasha said, not sounding very happy. "You'd think he would have gotten over me by now."

"Hey Natasha...maybe _you_ should kiss Denver tonight." I said.

"Are you crazy? Then he'll think we can get back together. Don't get me wrong, I like Denver...but he just doesn't fit the list. My hunky Harvard dream guy is still out there, and I'd have to break up with Denver before summer anyway."

"Then do that." I said, not knowing why I was telling my friend to get back with her ex. "You want a date for prom don't you?"

"Yeah." She said, shrugging off her ruined dress.

"And you do like Denver...don't you?"

"Yes, yes I do."

"Even though he's not your dream guy?"

"Hunky Harvard dream guy." She corrected. "You know what Bella...you are so right! I'm going to march out there and ask him back out right now!"

Haley and I laughed at her. "Natasha." I said. "You may not want to do that."

"Why not?" She asked, looking at us in pure confusion.

We both pointed toward her, and she looked down to notice that she was standing there in her underwear.

"Denver would have liked that _way_ too much. "I said, laughing a bit while Haley helped Natasha put on the dress she made for her.

"Yeah he would have." Natasha replied, glancing at herself in the mirror. "Haley dear I love you to death for making this dress, but it is one of the ugliest things I have ever seen."

"Thanks!" Haley called after her, pushing her toward the door. "Go get Denver now. Squeeze his butt for me...okay?"

"What?" Natasha asked, looking shocked.

"Dude looks like he has a nice butt." Haley said. Natasha shook her head and ran out the door.

"So who are you going to kiss tonight Haley?" I asked her, as she gathered up her things. I lead the two of us back out into the living room.

"Hmm." She said, scanning the room. Her face lit up again, like she had an idea. "I got it!"

"Who?" I asked her.

She pointed toward the far corner of the room. "Him." She said. I looked in the direction that she was pointing and noticed that she was directing my attention toward Kyle.

"Kyle? Seriously?" I asked her, kind of surprised. Although, Haley and Kyle did seem very similar. They were both slightly odd and everyone knew them as the class weirdos.

"Yeah, I'd tap that." Haley said, seeming proud of herself.

"Ew Haley, I wouldn't go that far."

"Eh, I would." She said, smiling. "I'm gonna kiss him. I feel that the feather master is with me in this decision."

"Ok then." I said, as something off to the side caught my eye. I turned my head to notice that Edward was finally coming out of the kitchen. He had shed his suit jacket and now was just wearing his gray dress shirt. The sleeves on his shirt were rolled up to his elbows, and I also noticed that the top two buttons were left undone on the dress shirt, exposing part of his chest. My heart instantly started to race like crazy at the sight of him.

Haley caught what I was looking at and smiled. "The feather master is with you on your decision as well."

I stared at Edward, who was walking in our direction. "I can't believe I'm going to do this."

She started spinning in circles like she usually did when she was excited. "Oh Bella you are going to have such a happy New Year!"

"Maybe." I said, my eyes meeting Edward's now. His eyes locked in on mine, and he smiled at me.

"Good luck." I heard Haley whisper in my ear, and before I knew it she had disappeared. I allowed myself a glance at the clock. 11:35. Twenty-five minutes to go.

"Hey there." Edward said, running one hand through his hair like he usually did when he was nervous. "Didn't miss me too much did you?"

"Not that much." I said, explaining why I needed to make a trip to my house. "That killed some time."

He laughed, but it was an odd laugh...not his usual I'm-so-freaking-sexy-and-I-know-it laugh.

"Something wrong?" I asked him.

"What?" He asked, looking at me as if I was crazy. "What makes you think that something is wrong?"

"You don't seem right. You're acting nervous or something."

He laughed again, still that same uneasy laugh. "Why do I have any reason to be nervous?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know. I wasn't sure if you were like worried that Rosalie was going to come kill you or something now that you broke up with her."

"No, not at all." He said, running the opposite hand through his hair.

"Where's your jacket at?"

"My jacket?" He asked, turning around to look at the kitchen. "Oh I left it in there...in the kitchen. I was getting kind of hot."

"Of course you were." I joked, pointing toward his unbuttoned shirt. "Apparently really hot?"

"Well Bella." He said, wrapping his arm around my waist. "It is a proven fact that I'm really hot. Extremely hot for that matter."

I laughed at him. "Sure thing Edward, whatever you want to think. What were you doing in the kitchen for so long anyway?"

"What was I doing in the kitchen?" He said, repeating my question. "Just, hanging out in there...talking to Gazpacho about stuff."

"You spent that long just chit-chatting with Gazpacho?"

"I have this uncanny ability to talk a lot." He said, glancing over at the wall by the front door. He removed his arm from around my waist and clicked his tongue nervously. "Ha, fifteen minutes till midnight."

"Fifteen minutes?" I sort of shouted, due to an intense wave of panic that washed over me. "Are you kidding?"

"Um, no." Edward said, seeming confused. "There's fifteen minutes till midnight. Actually..." He said, pausing to take his phone out. "Fourteen minutes now."

"What?" I sort of asked myself, not able to believe how fast the time had passed.

"Fourteen minutes until midnight." He repeated, putting his phone back in his pocket.

"Ok thanks Edward...I've got the point now."

"Bella are you ok?" He asked, looking at me with concern.

"Hm?" I asked, turning to look at him. "Oh yeah. I'm sorry. I just can't believe that the New Year is going to be here so soon!" I said, trying to sound excited. I was such a terrible liar. I had no idea how in the world Edward was able to lie for a living.

He must have bought my lie at least slightly however, because he laughed, and this laugh seemed a bit more like the usual Edward laugh. "Bella, Bella, Bella."

"Why do you do that?" I asked him.

"Do what?"

"Repeat my name like that over and over again when I do something silly."

He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't really know."

I laughed a little as I glanced over at the clock. Midnight was approaching closer by the second.

"Do you want to go sit down?" Edward asked, gesturing toward the couches by the front door.

"Sure." I said simply as he took my hand and led me over to one of the couches.

We sat in silence for three long minutes. Neither one of us said a single word. At one point in I felt Edward place his arm around my shoulders, but other than that we enjoyed eachother's company without talking.

Edward was the first one to finally break the silence. "So." He said, running his free hand through his hair. A playful grin appeared on his face. "Are you going to kiss anybody tonight?"

I laughed slightly. "Oh Edward. You may be under the impression that I would answer no to that question, but you are in for quite a surprise because my answer is yes."

He did seemed surprised, which I expected. "Are you being serious?" He asked.

"Totally serious."

"Who?"

"I'm not going to tell you that." I said, laughing a little to try and keep myself from blushing.

"You seriously found someone that fits your regulations?"

"Yes, I think I may have."

He still seemed very surprised. "Wow, I never believed in a million years that I would get to witness the unkissable Bella Swan kissing somebody."

"Who ever said that I'd be somewhere where you could witness it?" I joked.

He laughed. "Well regardless of if I witness it or not, I still can't believe it."

"Believe it Edward Cullen, because it's going to happen." I responded, even though I still wasn't very sure if it was going to happen.

"So if you can't tell me who this guy is...can you at least give me a description of him?"

"Why do you care so much?" I teased.

"Maybe the guy you want to kiss is a total jerk and I want to save you from wasting your precious first kiss on him."

"Ah I guess he can tend to be a jerk sometimes." I said, resting my head on his shoulder. "I think that's just a cover-up though. He can be really sweet."

"Go on." He insisted, resting his head on mine.

"He's smart, he's got a pretty nice sense of humor, and I guess you'd could say he's attractive."

"You merely guess that he's attractive?"

"Well, no. I know that he's attractive."

"Ah yes it is quite nice being attractive." He said, smiling at me.

"You would know, wouldn't you?"

His smile grew wider. "Are you calling me attractive Bella?"

I smiled as well. "Sure Edward, just go ahead and think whatever you want. Wouldn't want to harm that precious little ego of yours."

"I cannot believe that you just called me attractive. I have to write this down somewhere."

"Is that all you really care about?" I asked him.

He simply shook his head and smiled.

"Ok, now it's my turn to ask a question." I said, as he placed his hand on my lap.

"What do you mean it's your turn to ask a question? We're not playing truth or dare Bella."

"I know that, but I still want to ask you something."

"Alright, what is it?"

"Are you going to kiss someone tonight?"

"Bella I'm _Edward Cullen_. Why wouldn't I kiss someone at midnight?"

"Well I wasn't sure if you were going to skip it this year because you just broke up with Rosalie eariler this evening."

"That's even more reason to kiss someone tonight."

"Does this someone happen to be the girl you wrote about?"

He nodded. "Yes, it is."

"Edward I'm so proud of you!" I said. "You're going to take a risk by kissing this girl, even though you're under the impression that she doesn't feel the same way, and maybe, just maybe...things will work in your favor."

"That's what I'm hoping for."

"I'm sure everything will be just fine."

"One minute!" Various people in the crowd screamed.

I turned around quickly to glance at the clock, and sure enough, midnight was now only seconds away.

My heart started to pound like crazy again, and when I looked over at Edward he too seemed nervous.

I quickly jumped up off of the couch and walked off to the side a bit. Mere seconds later I became aware of Edward standing by my side.

"Aren't you going to go stand by the guy you want to kiss?" He shouted to me above the noise.

At that moment I was no longer very sure if I wanted to try and kiss Edward. Even though there was a huge chance that the girl he wanted to kiss that night was me, there was still a teeny-tiny chance that it wasn't. I really did not want to ruin my first kiss by kissing him, and then discovering it meant nothing to him. That one simple kiss could have the potential to do so much damage. He could become angry with me, push me away from him, or even worse...perhaps he'd kiss me back and then tell me later that it meant nothing to him, he just thought he'd make me happy. If I kissed him and he didn't like it, it could ruin our friendship...and once he'd leave for LA he may never come back to Phoenix again because of me.

On the plus side, kissing him could change my life. It was highly possible that I was the girl he wrote about in that paper. In fact I was beyond confident that girl was me. If I kissed him and that was the case, he'd confess his undying love to me and enjoy every second of the kiss. If I kissed him, I'd save his life. He needed me so bad it drove him insane, and by kissing him and letting him know that I needed him too, he'd no longer have any reason to drive himself crazy. He'd no longer need to act.

After all of these thoughts flew through my head like jet planes, I knew what I had to do. I had to stand by my plan and kiss Edward Cullen. Whatever consequences came my way afterwords, I'd deal with later.

"Um." I said, looking around the room to try and imply that I was searching for this mystery guy. "He's not too far. I'll stay here for just a bit longer."

"Thirty seconds!" The crowd yelled. Some people started jumping up and down, others ran across the room to be with their significant other before the clock struck twelve.

"What about you?"

"What about me?" He asked.

"Aren't you going to go find your girl?"

"Oh. She's not that far away either."

I nodded my head in approval, not knowing what else to do. I wasn't sure how long my heart could handle such excitement.

"Fifteen seconds!"

Edward and I both turned to one another at the same time.

"You probably should go find that guy." He told me.

"I'm alright. Like I said, he's not that far away. But you should go after that girl."

"She's pretty close by." He said, looking away from me.

I looked down at the floor for a brief moment before I looked back up again. Was I seriously going to do this? What if I leaned over to kiss him when the clock struck twelve and he had left me to go kiss someone else?

"10...9...8."

The fact that my whole life was about to change in a matter of seconds was unbelievable. I had been in love with Edward Cullen for the majority of my life, and now in just a few more seconds I could finally find out the truth. I could finally find out if we had a future together.

"7...6...5."

"You should really get going." I yelled to him over the voices of everyone else.

"I'm ok...but you should..."

I interrupted him. "I'm just fine."

"4...3...2...1...Happy New Year!"

At that percise moment confetti was sent flying through the air. Couples all around us started kissing one another, and those who didn't have someone to kiss simply hugged people in their group of friends. The room was in absolute chaos, and it was incredibly noisy in there.

I glanced over to my side and noticed that for some reason, Edward was _still_ standing there.

"You really should go find that guy now." Edward said, gesturing toward the center of the room.

I took a step closer to him, looking straight into his gorgous eyes. "Like I said all along, he's pretty nearby. But you on the other hand, should go find your dream girl."

He took several steps closer to me, closing the distance between us. Out of pure instinct I rested my forehead on his, and found myself wrapping my arms securely around his neck.

"Oh she's not that far from me at all." He whispered as he leaned closer to me.

It was incredibly difficult to believe this was actually happening to me, I swore I had to be dreaming or something. Of course I figured if my luck went the same way it usually did when I got this close to Edward, that something would end up ruining this for me.

"Well, go kiss her then." I whispered back.

"Believe me my love...I intend on doing just that." He said in response before I closed my eyes and pulled myself closer to him in an effort to close the extremely small gap separating us.

I became aware of him placing both of his hands on my waist, and he pulled me into him about the same time that I tried to as well. Each one of those seconds seemed to tick by even slower than the seconds leading up to midnight.

Then it happened. The moment I had waited nearly my whole life for finally took place. No interruptions.

Edward and I's lips met in what could be defined as the longest awaited kiss in the whole world.

The first kiss was very soft and almost cautious...as if neither one of us were sure what we had just done. But despite this uncertainty there was so much passion released in that one little kiss. My lips felt like they were on fire, and I swore my heart had just jumped out of my chest.

After that first kiss however, things started to pick up. The kisses grew faster in pace and I found both myself and Edward pressing our lips harder against eachother's with each kiss.

If I could have, I would have chose to live in that moment for the rest of my life. There is no other feeling in the world that can even come close to the feelings I was experiencing at that moment. My mind played with the idea that I was dreaming, but it all felt so real that I knew this was not a fragment of my imagination.

The need to breathe finally overcame the two of us, and we barely pulled away from one another. I found myself gasping for air, surprised I had been kissing him for so long. I kept my eyes closed, so I didn't get the chance to look at him, but I could feel his breath fanning gently across my face.

As soon as we both caught our breath he leaned in to kiss me once more, and the process started all over again.

It was a wonderful way to start the new year. I just had the best first kiss in the world. The first kiss that girls everywhere dream about experiencing someday. It was the first kiss I had always dreamed of, and it actually did fit all of my regulations.

While I was kissing Edward, I realized that I had always had a secret third regulation for my first kiss all along. Even though it kind of tied into my first regulation, it still was a regulation that needed to be fulfilled.

My regulations for my first kiss were as follows:

1. It had to mean something to me.

2. It had to mean something to the person I was kissing.

3. The person I was kissing couldn't be anyone else but Edward Cullen.

All of my regulations had been met.

* * *

**I can't wait to see everyone's reactions in the reviews! I have a feeling that all of you probably forgot everything that happened in this chapter up until that very last moment, but that's ok...that was a...well as Edward would say...a big deal. **

**So are you glad they finally kissed? That is what the whole story was leading up to, that kiss. I found it so amusing reading everyone's reviews begging for the two of them to kiss, and how frustrated some of you were becoming because they still hadn't yet. Well no need to worry anymore!**

**What did you think about this chapter? I tried to put some filler stuff in it so that it wasn't just like...bam...here they are, they kissed...you know? But I tried to keep it shorter so that it wasn't just a bunch of boring filler stuff.  
**

**The next chapter is going to include a lot of Edward/Bella fluffiness. (I think that's the first time I've ever used the word fluff to describe something in one of my fan fictions...lol.) Edward is also going to explain a lot of things to Bella...and for added humor...Emmett may go streaking. ;)**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

**~Hazl~  
**


	22. Chapter 22

**I'm so glad you guys liked the last chapter! This whole story has revolved around that moment since day one, and I finally got to share it with you guys! Now everyone won't be yelling at me to make them kiss...lol.**

**Several people commented in the reviews that it took my a while to update this last time around. I know it seems like I apologize for that kind of stuff a lot, and I'm sure that it gets annoying sometimes...but I'm still going to apologize...lol. As you know I had just finished my school musical, thinking that I would now be free to update more often. However I was wrong because then I was instantly thrown into end-of-the-school-year commitments. Exams to study for, yearbook layouts to finish, trips with the band, a school play that took up a whole week's worth of time, and so many other things. I kept getting very distressed because I knew I needed to update, especially since it was such an important chapter. But with all of the things that were suddenly thrown at me, it was very difficult.**

**But guess what? It's my summer vacation now! Yea! I can assure you all now that it is summer I have absolutely nothing to do but _write_. (Which makes me happy!) No summer activities besides 4-H once a month and no school activities until more toward the end of summer. That gives me the time I need to post an update about every week! **

**Guys counting this chapter there's only four more to go before it's over. Four more chapters. Kind of sad huh? I know I'm really going to miss this story, I've loved writing it so much.**

**Anyway, enough apologizing and other sad stuff...you guys want your update don't you? Well here it is. :)**

**

* * *

****Chapter 22**

No matter how hard I tried I could not bring myself to stop kissing Edward. Each time our lips met my heart seemed to stop and this incredible wave of happiness would just rush over me. Even though I kept thinking that I should pull away in order to catch my breath again, I couldn't do it. It's like I was afraid that none of this would be real if I pulled away.

However, much to my absolute dismay, Edward and I finally pulled away from our kiss. We just stood there for a long time, real close to one another, not saying a word. I didn't want to be the first one to speak for fear I'd say something stupid. But Edward didn't seem like he was going to say anything either and the silence following that amazing kiss was almost unbearable.

What was there to say to someone after you kissed them like that? "Wow that was a nice kiss!" or "Dang I liked that!" No words seemed to describe that kiss accurately. I wanted to say something though, I just didn't know what I could say without sounding stupid. I really wished that Edward would open his big mouth and say something but for _once_ he was remaining quiet.

I was still debating what I should say to him when I became aware of the fact that Edward had just quickly jumped away from me. I looked up to see him still standing across from me but not as close as he was before.

"Um." Edward said, finally breaking the silence that had been lingering for so long. "Do you want to like...sit...or something?" He asked, pointing to the couch located nearby as he ran one hand through his perfectly tousled hair.

I looked back and forth from him to the nearby couch, discovering I was having trouble remembering how to speak. "Sure." I finally managed to say.

"Good." Edward said, nodding his head a couple of times. "Do you want some punch or something else to drink?"

"I'm alright, thanks." I said, taking a seat on the couch. I suddenly felt really dizzy, like I was going to pass out or something.

"Are you alright Bella?"

"Hm?"

"Are you alright?" He repeated. "You look like you're about to faint or something."

"Can you blame me?" I said, not knowing where those words came from.

Edward laughed. "No Bella, I guess I really can't."

"I'm fine."

"Well I'm going to just go over to the snack table real fast and get myself something. You wait here ok?"

"Oh trust me, I won't move an inch."

Edward smiled at me before he quickly rushed over to the snack table.

I straightened out the skirt of my dress and looked around the rest of the room. People were back to dancing, chatting with friends, and running around like a bunch of uncaged zoo animals. It surprised me that Edward and I's little spectacle had seemed to go unnoticed. If someone had seen us kissing no one at the party would be able to do anything else but talk about the incident. I eventually turned to look at the snack table, and saw that Edward was just standing there, not moving very much at all. He finally reached forward and stuck his hands into two cups of water, and began flicking himself in the face with it. I couldn't help but laugh quietly to myself. If Edward was seriously that hyped up about kissing _me_, I found that hard to believe.

It wasn't long before Edward made his way back over to where I was sitting. He took a seat beside me, but didn't say a word for quite some time. I placed my hands in my lap and laced my fingers together while my feet swayed back and forth. It was turning into another one of those really weird moments of silence that I didn't like, and I once again felt like I had to say something. But my mind was blank on what exactly I could say.

"Bella." Edward said, much to my relief. "I think there's something that needs to be straightened out right now."

At the sound of his words my heart sank into my chest. It kind of sounded like he was trying to imply that kiss wasn't meaningful to him and he didn't want me to feel bad if I actually thought it was. I did not want that to be the case. When I was kissing him I thought I felt passion on both sides, not just mine. Was I wrong? I very well may have been. Edward was an actor after all. He had to kiss tons of girls for different movies and make each kiss look passionate so that it didn't seem fake to the audience. Why would it be any different in real life? It just so happened that when I was kissing him I wasn't acting. I truly wanted to spend each of those seconds in his arms and no where else.

"Ok then." I managed to say in a very weak voice that hardly resembled my own. "What is it?"

He took a long, deep breath, and then suddenly turned to me with intense emotion on his face. "I need you!"

"What?" I asked, incredibly shocked and also far beyond confused.

"I need you." He repeated. "I really...need you."

"You need me? How in the world do you _need me_?" I asked, shaking my head in confusion.

"Bella." He said softly, trying to calm me down. "I really can't put it any other way than that. I need you. I just simply need you."

"But I don't understand how you need me."

"Do you know who I wrote my paper about?" He asked, which I thought seemed like an odd question to ask at that moment.

"Well I'm not one-hundred percent certain but I thought maybe it was about..."

"It was about you." He interrupted.

Even though I had figured all along that Edward's paper had been about me, actually hearing him say it was extremely unbelievable.

"What does that have to do with you needing me?"

He took one of my hands in his and gently planted a soft kiss on it. "Bella do you recall what I said would happen to me if I didn't have you?"

It was all starting to make sense now and my mind began putting the puzzle pieces together. "You'd go back into that crazy, depressed state of yours...and you'd eventually...die without..."

"You." He finished for me. "Without you."

"So you need me to survive?"

"Exactly right."

"Why _me_ though? I mean I just cannot even begin to think that all those lovely words you used in your paper to describe this dream girl of yours are actually words you were using to describe me. It's also so hard to believe that someone as plain and ordinary as me could actually make someone like you so depressed and emotionally wounded inside."

"Oh Bella, all of those words I used in my paper to describe you could never be able to accurately put into perspective how absolutely amazing you are. I don't think anyone would ever be able to truly appreciate how wonderful you are by just reading about you. They need to see you, talk to you, and get to know you. No amount of words on a piece of paper would ever be able to describe such incredible beauty."

"I cannot believe any of this is happening."

"Well believe it my love, because it's happening."

"You are the most amazing guy in the whole world. The guy that every girl wishes she could be with. Every girl on the face of this Earth plans their future wedding to Edward Cullen. You're the world's most sought after guy, and yet you want to just settle on me? You could have any girl you want. All of those celebrities with their fancy clothes and perfect hair. But you seriously want me over any of them?"

"It's like I told you before. The plastic dolls are everywhere. You can get one of them very easily, but they aren't anything fantastic. It's when you find a porcelain doll, one who is truly unique, that you have found a darling, delicate, and beautiful individual." He said before he leaned forward and offered me a gentle kiss.

"Do you realize how hard it is for me to believe that when you're saying all of these things you are actually talking about _me_?"

He laughed slightly, gently caressing my face with the back of his hand. "Do you realize how hard it is for me to believe that I just leaned over and kissed the girl I've spent almost my entire life loving as if there's no tomorrow?"

"You love me?" I asked. "I mean, I think we've already clarified that you need me...but you love me as well?"

"Bella if I need you so much that I drive myself insane without you in my life, then that's either love or one really messed up mental condition."

"Well I wouldn't totally rule out that messed up mental condition part." I said, smiling.

He smiled as well. "I think you have your answer now...do you not?"

I nodded my head. "Yes, I guess I do." I said. "But I still don't believe it. I mean...you hated me."

Edward laughed again. "Just acting my dear, just acting."

"I should have known that." I said, my smile growing wider.

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Well you absolutely despised me to the moon and back."

"Just acting." I chimed, laughing a little at myself.

"Ha, I should have seen that one coming." Edward said, wrapping one arm around my shoulders and pulling me closer to him.

"Yeah you probably should have." I responded, taking his free hand and allowing myself to lace my fingers through his. "So tell me something Edward."

"Alright, what do you want to know?"

"Why in the world did you keep running into the kitchen all night?"

"That's what you want to know?"

"Yes it is, because I have no idea what in the world someone can do in a kitchen for such a long period of time."

"Cook maybe?" He joked.

"You know what I meant, stupid."

He laughed. "If you must know, I was talking to Gazpacho."

"About what?"

"About you."

"Why were you talking to Gazpacho about me?"

"Remember in my paper how I said that there's only one person that knows about my feelings for you?"

"Yeah, I remember."

"That person would be Gazpacho."

"Seriously? It isn't your mom?"

"Heck no! If I told my mom about my feelings for you she wouldn't be able to keep her mouth shut."

"So you told Gazpacho?"

"He offers really good advice and he promised he wouldn't tell anybody. Besides, he's basically like a second father to me...so it seems natural to talk to him about that kind of stuff."

"Does he know about your whole depression thing?"

"He probably has more insight to it than anyone else, but I haven't even told him about how bad it really is."

"So why did you keep running into the kitchen tonight? What did you need his advice for?"

"Well I wanted to get his advice before I called Rosalie so that way I had a little bit of a clue how to go about that situation. Then later when I went in there to talk to him, I wanted to ask him what he thought about this idea I had."

"What kind of idea?"

"I wanted to ask him if it would be a good idea for me to kiss you at midnight."

I laughed. "I had to ask Natasha and Haley the same thing."

"You asked them if it would be a good idea to kiss me at midnight?"

"Yes I did."

"Great minds think alike I guess."

"I guess they do."

"So does this mean we're sort of a thing now?" Edward asked, glancing at our intertwined hands.

"If you want to be a thing I guess we can be a thing."

"You guess we can be a thing or you want us to be a thing?"

"I wouldn't mind." I said, looking away from him as I felt my cheeks turning hot.

"Well in that case, Bella Swan...would you do me the honor of becoming my girlfriend?"

I laughed. "Gosh Edward, you can't even ask someone out like a normal person. You have to make it sound all proper and fancy."

"Do you have a problem with that?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because it's pretty darn sexy."

"That's what I thought." He said with a smile. "So?"

"So what?"

"Do you want to be my girlfriend?"

I bit my lip and nodded my head once. "Only for fifteen years."

"What's that?"

"I've only wanted to be your girlfriend for fifteen years."

"You've liked me since you were three?" He asked.

"Isn't that about the time we met?"

"Yeah it seems like it."

"Then that's when I fell for you."

"You know I am never going to get tired of you saying stuff like that."

"You're probably also enjoying the fact that I've being calling you amazing and sexy."

"That's pretty enjoyable...yes. I never thought in a million years that I would ever hear you call me sexy."

"Truthfully I didn't really think that I'd ever call you sexy either."

"Really?"

"Well at least not out loud. I call you sexy in my head all the time.

"I really do like hearing that."

"I know you do, Mr. Ego."

"Now my ego's been boosted big time because I have the most amazing girlfriend in the world."

"Ok you have to stop saying stuff like that or I swear I will be the one going insane here...not you."

"Fine then, let's not say anything at all." Edward said, leaning in to kiss me once more. I wrapped one arm around his neck and rested the palm of my hand against the back of his head as I tried to pull him closer to me. The arm that he once had placed around my shoulders was now wrapped tightly around my waist. I pressed my lips hard against his, absorbing every ounce of passion from each individual kiss that I could.

When Edward pulled away from our kiss he looked at me with a mischievous grin on his face.

"What are you smiling about?" I asked him, my voice barely reaching a whisper.

"Oh nothing, I was just thinking that I really need to teach you French sometime."

I smiled, knowing what he was due to say next.

"And I am not talking about the language." He whispered, planting one gentle kiss on my lips, before placing another one on the tip of my nose.

I giggled softly as I smiled back at him. "I guess we'll have to see about that...won't we?"

"It's something to consider." Edward responded, backing away from me just a bit. "I have a lot of stuff to talk to you about."

"What kind of stuff?"

"Stuff that I've wanted to be able to tell somebody for a really long time."

"I'm listening." I said, backing away from him just a little bit as well. He wrapped his arm back around my shoulders and allowed his head to rest on mine.

"Didn't you say that Alice and my mom were talking to you one time about movies and what I look for in a script?"

"Yeah, it was the night that you had Rosalie over for dinner. For some reason I just kept asking them all these questions about the movies you had been in."

"They didn't really provide you with many answers...did they?"

"Not really. When I asked them if you looked for anything in particular in a script Alice proceeded to tell me about the process you go through to pick one out. She said she knew you must be looking for something, but she had no idea what it would be."

"When I am looking at a script, I want something that has a good plot that could influence a lot of people, maybe even change lives. I don't want to be in some action movie where all I do is kill people the whole time. That doesn't teach anyone anything and it most certainly doesn't help change someone's life."

"Yeah I understand where you're coming from."

"But most importantly I want to be able to connect with the character I will be playing. As an actor you kind of want to become your character, so to say, and by doing so it makes acting like them less like...well...acting. If you can find a connection with your character, some sort of common ground..it's very easy to feel like you are them."

"You had a huge problem connecting yourself to writing though. Are you good at connecting yourself to a movie character?" I asked.

"That's the thing. All that time when I was struggling with finding connection to my writing I was thinking about the wrong thing. I was trying to think about myself, and only myself, just like everyone was telling me I should do. But then that one day in the auditorium when you walked in and talked to me for a little while, I realized what the key was."

"What is it?"

"You." He said looking over at me. "I couldn't connect myself to my writing because I was thinking about myself, not you. The second I thought about you...I could write."

"I'm your connection?"

"Not just to writing either. You are the key I use to connect myself to movies as well."

"Seriously?" I asked.

"Yes, seriously. I try to pick movies with a plot and a message that reminds me of you. It makes them so much easier to do."

It all suddenly started to click in my head. Love to Hate you sounded exactly like Edward and I's entire relationship. Guy and girl hate one another to death, pick on one another all the time, but are secretly in love and get together in the end. Why hadn't I realized this before?

"Just like Love to Hate You."

"Exactly like Love to Hate You." He said. "I wanted to star in that movie _so_ bad, you have no idea. I somehow managed to get a hold of that script and I instantly became addicted to it. I knew I had to be Matt and I had to tell him and Claire's story...just because it was exactly like you and I's story."

"And you did just that."

"I worked so hard to get that role. I really hoped that maybe you'd someday see the connection and maybe stop and think about it sometime, but I guess you never really noticed it."

"Now I realize how incredibly obvious the connection is, but oddly enough I had never noticed it before."

He laughed a bit. "You want to know something else?"

"Sure...this is actually kind of interesting."

"When you were talking to my mom and Alice that night, did they say anything about me and the line?" He said, making air quotes on "the line."

"They said that you spent a week and a half rehearsing it because you knew it was going to be the most important line in the movie."

"Did they tell you anything else?"

"Alice said everyone in the house was saying the line in their sleep because you said it so much."

"Ah, she would be correct." Edward said, smiling. "But that's basically all they had to say?"

"For the most part, yeah. Why...is there something to the line that they don't know?"

Edward's smile grew wider. "Bella once upon a time, the line...was not the same as it is today."

"What do you mean it wasn't the same?" I asked.

"It was a completely different line. I could prove it to you if I could find the old version of the script."

"So what was it?"

"The line was nothing like what the line became. In fact, it probably wouldn't even have been classified as the line if it hadn't been changed."

"Wow, was it really that bad?"

"Do you want to know what it was?"

I nodded my head in response. "Yeah, I do."

"Alright." He said, clearing his throat. "The line used to be..."Claire, we haven't always got along, but you see...I love you."

"That doesn't have the same ring to it at all." I said, even though Edward was able to make it sound amazing simply because he was Edward.

"That's what I thought when I read the script." Edward said. "Every time I'd rehearse that scene I'd think about that line, and it bothered me so much to think about it."

"Just because you knew it needed to sound better than that?"

"Well yes, but I was also trying to think about what I would say to _you_ in that kind of a situation. I pictured myself confessing my undying love to you in a much more romantic way than that."

"Edward I can completely understand your point of view. That part of the movie wouldn't have been right without the line."

"That's what I thought too. I knew that was supposed to be the most important part of the whole movie, but with that line sounding the way it did it didn't seem as important to me."

"So what happened? How did it get changed?" I asked, very curious.

"Well keep in mind here that I was brand new to the Hollywood scene. Some young kid they took a chance casting in the movie over someone more well known like Chace Crawford."

"Chace Crawford seriously auditioned for the role of Matt?"

"He seriously did. They had it narrowed down to either me or him, and took me because Rosalie said to."

"Wow...I keep learning new things by the minute."

He laughed. "Anyway, they seriously did take a huge risk casting me. They really had no idea what I was going to bring to the movie, how good I was going to be, and whether or not I could take on such a huge role. You know that the production company was already trying to advertise Love to Hate You as the blockbuster of the decade long before I was even officially cast. I had huge shoes to fill and a lot to prove. Even after everyone involved with the movie started to see that I had some major talent they were still unsure about me. No one knew who I was...so how much of a draw could I bring to their movie...you know?"

"Yep, that all makes perfect sense." I said. "But how does this connect to the line?"

"I'm getting there." He said, smiling a little. "Don't you know I take forever to get to the point?"

"That's something I may be slightly aware of." I joked, allowing him to continue his story.

"Well I didn't want to say anything about how I didn't like the line. How stupid would that have made me look? Some new kid who's never really been in a movie before, questioning the script and saying it should be better than what it was. I didn't think that was a good idea."

"So you actually kept your mouth shut?"

"I know it's hard to believe, but yes I did."

"That is kind of hard to believe."

"At least for a little while."

"Ah, now that is easy to believe."

He laughed. "It was the day we were getting ready to film that scene, and I knew I just couldn't go on and film it without saying something. I finally spoke up and told the director that I really didn't think that line was as good as it needed to be. The director was a nice guy and I knew that if I had to tell anybody about what I thought, I'd stand the best chance with him. Even he kind of seemed sort of taken aback when I said something about it though."

"What did he think?"

"He kind of smiled at me, then laughed a little and told me if I could come up with anything better to say...then they'd think about changing it."

"Did you come up with something?"

"Yes I did."

"And what was it?"

A smile started to play along his lips. "The line."

My mouth fell wide open in total amazement. "_You_ wrote the line?"

"I wrote the freaking line."

"How in the world did you come up with that?"

"I came up with it on the spot. He was just being a smart-alack you know...thinking I wouldn't come up with anything to say. But I just said what was on my mind, what I thought I would say if I was talking to you." He laughed. "He had the same look on his face that you do right now."

"What happened then? Did you guys push the scene back for a while or what?"

"Yeah we did so that way they could rework that part of the script to fit around the line a bit better. That allowed me enough time to rehearse it over and over again. It finally felt right to me and I no longer dreaded filming that scene."

"Edward that is absolutely amazing."

"You should have been there when I said it for the very first time. We had to do a second take because Rosalie nearly passed out."

I laughed. "I really can't blame her. I think the first time any girl ever heard you say the line they nearly passed out as well."

"And then we had to do a third take because she nearly passed out again."

I laughed even harder that time. "Wow, and she even knew what was coming."

"Well the line wasn't exactly the reason she passed out the second time."

"Then what was?"

"Rosalie and I were kind of thinking about starting our relationship at that point in time. Therefore she was pretty possessive of me and kind of treated me like I was already her boyfriend. When I went to say the line the second time I said it the way I used to practice it, rather than the way I should have said it. That's why Rosalie almost passed out yet again."

"You practiced the line differently than the way it really was? How?"

He turned to face me. "I practiced it by saying your name instead of Claire."

"And you accidentally said my name when you guys did that second take."

"I most certainly did. No one else heard me besides Rosalie. That was the only reason the scene called for a third take, because she almost fainted again. That's also the reason Rosalie has always been incredibly jealous of you."

"Rosalie...jealous of me? Why does she have any reason to be jealous of _me_?"

"I was supposed to say someone else's name but said yours instead. I guess she always figured that I had a thing for you or something because anytime I'd bring you up in conversation from that moment on she didn't seem to enjoy it very much."

"Let me get this straight. You came up with the line on your own, rehearsed it saying my name, and Rosalie was forever jealous of me because you slipped up one time and said my name instead of Claire's?"

"Sounds like you're up to speed." He said, smiling at me before he gently kissed my forehead.

"Could you say it?" I asked, closing my eyes as a reaction to the sensation of his lips against my skin.

"Say what? The line?"

"Yes...but with my name."

"Ah that's my favorite way of saying it." Edward sort of whispered, as he placed on hand on my cheek.

I opened my eyes and glanced up at him. "Just say it you crazy actor you."

He took a deep breath and smiled at me. "Bella...I always have hated you. But I always have, and always will, be totally in love with you."

"Wow." I whispered. "Just...wow."

"I mean every word of it. No acting involved." He said, as his hand gently caressed my face.

"Don't forget what happens after you say the line."

"What happens after I say the line?"

"This." I said, leaning forward to kiss him.

"EMMETT CULLEN IS NAKED AND I KNOW YOU LIKE IT!" Some extremely loud male voice suddenly screamed above the music, preventing me from kissing Edward.

Until that moment I had never known what it felt like for your eyes to burn, but I did after that. Emmett was streaking across the living room and shouting at the top of his lungs.

"Oh my gosh please tell me that my brother is _not_ streaking at my party." Edward said, covering his eyes with his free hand.

"Please tell me I did not just see Emmett _naked_."

"WOO YOU ALL JUST SAW ME NAKED!" Emmett screamed, running right past Edward and I. "DON'T ACT DISGUSTED! I KNOW YOU WANT THIS!"

"Bella my love."

"Yes Edward?"

"I must sadly inform you that you just saw my brother naked."

"Thanks Edward...thanks."

"You are very much welcome."

"TO THE POOL YOU MORONS!" Emmett screamed again as he ran outside. His scream was followed by a loud "splash" indicating that Emmett had stopped streaking in exchange for skinny dipping.

"Well that has to go down as one of the most disturbing things I've ever seen in my life." I said, resting my head back on Edward's shoulder.

"I'm going to have to agree with you on that one." Edward said in response.

"Now that your brother is done streaking through the living room, is there anything else you want to talk to be about?"

Edward didn't say anything for a while and I could tell that he was trying to think of something to discuss. "Actually there is."

"What?"

"I know this is asking you to think several years back, but do you remember the day I left Phoenix to head to LA?"

"Yes, because that was without a doubt the worst day of my entire life."

"Do you remember what I gave you that day?"

"You insulted me a lot, is that what you mean?"

"No, remember I gave you something right before I left."

I finally managed to remember what he was talking about. "Yeah, you autographed my napkin."

"That was the first autograph I ever gave to anyone."

"Ever?" I asked.

"Ever. I wanted you to be the first one to get it. Not just some random person I didn't even know."

"Aw that's really sweet Edward."

"Yeah well I'm pretty much a big deal."

"Oh gosh, please don't start with that big deal crap again."

He laughed at me. "Anyway, you wouldn't happen to still have that napkin would you?"

"What makes you think that I still have it?"

"I don't know. If you're so in love with me I'd assume you'd want to keep it."

I rolled my eyes and laughed. "As a matter of fact, I have it with me right now."

"You carry it around with you?"

"No you idiot!" I said, still laughing as I went to retrieve my purse. "When I went to get the thread for Haley I knocked over the box of stuff I try to keep hidden from you, and the napkin fell out of it. Rather than bother with putting it back, I just decided to keep it in my purse for the night."

"Is that so? What exactly is in that box of stuff you try to keep hidden from me?"

"Not much." I said, taking the napkin out of my purse as I sat back down beside him. "Just this napkin and a few DVD's."

"DVD's of what?" He asked, seeming very interested in what I was going to say.

"All of your movies." I said, feeling myself blush. "I own every one."

"Yes!" Edward exclaimed. "This is officially the best freaking day ever!"

"Why is it the best day ever? Because I own all of your movies?"

"That and the fact that I finally dumped Rosalie, I kissed you for the first time, and you are now my girlfriend!"

I laughed at him. "Ah Edward, you pathetic, little, self-absorbed freak."

"Sorry, I'll chill. I just can't help being a little excited."

"A little excited? I'd say you are very excited."

"Let me see this." He said, changing the subject as he took the napkin out of my hands. He looked at it for a long time before he said something else. "I assume you have never unfolded it and looked inside."

"No I haven't...why would I?"

"Once I knew that I had to leave Phoenix, I wanted to make sure that I left something behind that could let you know about my feelings for you. Then if you someday came across it and just so happened to have feelings for me in return, you'd know that I cared about you."

"So did you write me a message on the inside of my napkin or something?"

He nodded as he unfolded the napkin to reveal a small amount of writing. "I did just that."

The writing was very small and hard to read from where I was, so I moved closer to him to read the little note.

_Dear Bella,_

_Whether I am in Phoenix, LA, or Antarctica__ I want you to know this one thing. My heart is and will forever remain with you. It belongs there, it has for quite some time. Without you in my life I will remain incomplete. You are the key to my heart, my world, my absolute everything. I just thought I should let you know._

_Love,_

_Edward_

About halfway through the note I felt one single tear roll down the right side of my face. The entire little message was so sweet and incredibly romantic. It also really made me realize that everything I had ever dreamed of was right there. Edward Cullen loved me...and loved me for a very long time. He described me as his dream girl, his means for survival, the key to his heart, and his absolute everything. I had gone my whole life wanting to mean something to someone, but I had never imagined I'd be someone's everything.

But now I was, and knowing that someone loved me so much was an incredibly overwhelming feeling. To know that someone just so happened to be Edward Cullen was even more overwhelming. He was every girl's dream...but my reality.

"Edward I don't know what to say. That was so...amazing."

Edward reached forward to wipe the tear off of my cheek. "I just wanted to have a back up plan. I figured you'd never read it, but I felt a little better knowing I left something with you."

"Thank you." I said, kissing him on the cheek. "For loving me even though I'm just me."

"That's why I love you, because you're you. No one else, just Bella Swan. The most beautiful and amazing girl in the entire world."

"Edward Cullen you lie." I said, shaking my head while I re-read the note on the inside of the napkin.

"No Bella, I don't lie. I act...but I most certainly am not acting when I call you beautiful."

"Whatever." I said, taking the napkin back from him and folding it closed.

He laughed a little. "You can deny it all you want, it isn't going to change my mind."

I laughed a little as well. "Edward can I ask you something?"

"Sure my dear, ask me anything you want."

"How in the heck did you manage to write this note on the inside of my napkin without me noticing?"

"It was quite a complicated process to tell you the truth."

"What was it?"

"I got Brandon to switch his napkin with yours when you weren't looking."

"What? How?"

"I told Brandon that I was going to write a love note from him to you on his napkin and switch it with yours, that way he could have your napkin and add it to his Bella shrine."

"He seriously has a Bella shrine?"

"Yes he seriously does...and if you want to talk about seeing creepy things, seeing Brandon's Bella shrine goes down as the second creepiest thing I have ever seen in my life. Seeing Emmett naked obviously tops that by quite a bit though."

"So then you took his napkin and wrote the message on the inside and somehow managed to switch the two napkins without me noticing?"

"What can I say...I'm pretty much a big deal." He said, leaning back against the couch with a smile.

"No you are pretty much a moron, but go ahead and think whatever you want."

He laughed for a little while before he quickly leaned forward and kissed me. "I am never going to get tired of doing this."

"Doing what?"

"Kissing you."

I smiled as I leaned forward to kiss him myself. "Me either."

"WOO! EMMETT CULLEN IS NOW BACK TO STREAKING!" Emmett shouted, running right past Edward and I.

"Yuck." Edward said, not bothering to turn away from me.

"You can say that again."

"Yuck." Edward repeated.

"Just kiss me so that way I don't notice the fact that your brother is streaking around the living room."

"That doesn't sound like too hard of a request."

"I'd say it sure beats seeing Emmett naked."

"That's for sure." Edward said, kissing me several times in a row. I tangled my hands up in his hair while we kissed, trying to ignore Emmett's declarations of his nakedness.

"Will he ever shut up?" I said, during a time when Edward and I were taking a break from kissing.

"No he won't...but Emmett will be Emmett."

"I guess so." I said, shortly before Edward ended my sentence with another kiss.

"Bella...j'ai toujours détesté vous. Mais j'ai toujours, et sera toujours le cas, être totalement dans l'amour avec vous." He said, smiling at me.

"No idea what you just said, but M'embrasser." I responded.

Edward smiled. "Ah my love, I guess I shall oblige to your wish."

It was with those words that I crushed my lips tightly against Edward's, not caring who saw us or what else was going on. I didn't even care about Emmett streaking across the house. All I cared about was that moment, each kiss, and everything that had been said that night.

All I cared about was the fact that I was kissing Edward Cullen...who for some incredibly odd reason...loved me for than life itself.

* * *

**What did you guys think? Besides the chapter where they kissed for the first time, this has been one of the chapters I've been looking forward to the most. A lot of the other chapters are full of humor and Edward and Bella getting on one another's nerves. But this was the one chapter where it was basically all romantic, sweet, and full of Edward's incredibly sexy charm.**

**PS...since people have asked for this in the past...allow me to translate what was said in French by Edward and Bella there at the end of the chapter. Edward basically said "the line"...only in French...and Bella asked Edward to kiss her.  
**

**I really hope you liked this chapter! After this one there's only three more to go. :( It's really sad, I'm going to hate saying goodbye to insanely full of himself Edward, the feathery Haley, and the totally awesome Bella. But don't worry, we won't say goodbye to them for good. Just Acting will have a sequel sometime in the future...it may not be right away...but there will be one! Yea!**

**But enough of that...this story in the Just Acting series still has three more chapters to go! These next three chapters are kind of there just to wrap things up, but they all have a little bit of something to them that doesn't make them a simple boring chapter thrown at the end for no reason**

**A very little hint about the next chapter. This chapter was some Edward/Bella fluffiness. The next chapter isn't going to be so fluffy...but shall we say a bit more...interesting. ;D**

**Thanks you guys for being such amazing readers!**

**~Hazl~  
**


	23. Chapter 23

**For those of you who read the little message I posted on my profile page a few days ago...what did that teaser make you guys think? Well now you get to hear the whole story, and know exactly what was going on.**

**I don't necessarily know if I would classify this as a boring chapter, but it's due to be very random. All the sweetness/fluffiness from the last chapter isn't exactly present in this one. Like I said before however, things do get a bit spicy in this chapter. :D **

**It's sort of just a bit of a filler chapter for now, but it does hold some importance. A lot of the things brought up in this chapter are going to show up again in the sequel. :)  
**

**

* * *

****Chapter 23**

I couldn't believe this was actually happening to me.

When I woke up the following morning I swore that the previous night's events were merely a dream. I had stayed over at Natasha's house, and the three of us had stayed up late talking about everything that happened that night. They were both incredibly happy for me, as I figured they would be. However even though I was pretty sure that I actually did kiss Edward and he really did say all of those romantic things to me...I still swore there was no way that something so fantastic could have happened to me. But shortly upon waking up I received a text message from Edward, who was calling me his beautiful girlfriend and telling me he couldn't wait to see me again.

This was it, this was my life, this was really happening to me.

Edward Cullen was my boyfriend.

According to Edward, Rosalie decided to tell the press that Edward had broke up with her. He said she didn't waste any time doing so either, the breakup was first reported just a few hours after it happened. After reading several of the articles myself it seemed as though Rosalie didn't try to lie about the breakup. She stated the simple facts, that Edward called her while she was at her party, he was upset, and he called things off with her. She had mentioned how she thought he was crazy and that he would regret this. She also said that she figured they would get back together soon and that she hoped they would.

The general public response to this was in Edward's favor. Everyone seemed to be proud of him for finally standing up to Rosalie. A lot of people said nasty things about Rosalie and how Edward didn't deserve that kind of treatment. Everyone wished him well and told Rosalie she might as well move on because Edward would not come back.

After I saw how much attention Rosalie and Edward's breakup was receiving, I asked him when the general public was going to find out that he was now in a relationship with me. He figured it wouldn't take that long before someone we knew got in contact with somebody who would spread the news. He then told me that even if we managed to keep a low-profile and no one reported us to a media outlet, that in two weeks time everyone would have to know about us. When I asked him why, he nervously laughed and told me that the camera crew was at the party and they caught everything on film. The episode was due to come out in two weeks, and he said after that there would be no use in denying anything.

So I hoped that everyone we knew would just keep the gossip amongst themselves and not spill everything to the press. Edward said I could hope all I wanted to, but it was fairly likely that people would know about us before the show would ever premiere.

Sure enough stories about the two of us started popping up on our local news and it took two days time before somebody of real high importance caught the word. As soon as the news hit LA it spread like wildfire. Articles were posted about the two of us on every celebrity news website, we were the subject of everyone's morning, afternoon, and evening news, and newspapers used us as their front-page story. Edward's phone rang about every two minutes, and mine rang almost as much. My mom got chased down by reporters when she was shopping in Wal-Mart, and even Haley and Natasha were approached by people wanting to know more about me. There were now several hundred people outside of Edward's house with cameras, waiting to see if I would ever show up.

It was very stressful for me. This wasn't like I was dating the most popular guy in school and everyone in the surrounding area just had to know about it...I was dating the most popular guy in the _world_ and the entire Earth just had to know about it. The thought of not being able to go out in public without someone asking me questions or asking me for an autograph seemed very scary to me. Now there were people all over that wanted my picture, wanted to know where I lived, and wanted to know who I was. I was in no way prepared for this instant attention and fame. I was just an average girl who happened to fall in love with the world's greatest movie star, and now I was suddenly thrown into the celebrity world right with him.

Whenever Edward received calls or e-mails from somebody wanting to know more he'd basically tell them that yes, we were dating, but that's all he was going to say at time. He told me he wanted to keep me out of the spotlight as long as possible, because he knew it bugged me. He did warn me however that as long as I was with him it was going to be nearly impossible to avoid all of the attention. It would die down over time though, he told me, as soon as the initial hype started to fade away.

Due to the fact that Phoenix was now filled with reporters and people wanting to track me down, Edward and I hadn't had the ability to go out in public with one another like we had before. He had managed to leave his house once to meet me at Haley's...so that way if anyone followed him he wasn't leading them right to my house. Haley said she didn't care if the people with the flashing cameras wanted to stalk her instead of me, that it would make her feel special. Edward couldn't stay for long though, and his visit wasn't all that enjoyable since his phone continued to ring like crazy.

In fact, Rosalie probably called him just as much as members of the press did. She wanted to know what was going on and why he broke up with her and then immediately turned around and started dating me. Rosalie had also talked to the press several more times since the news of Edward and I leaked out, but no one really cared about what she had to say. After sometime Edward just ignored his phone when he saw it was Rosalie calling.

Four days after New Year's Eve, two days after the news hit the press, Edward called me and told me that at that moment there weren't very many people outside his house. He told me he was going to come get me and bring me over to his house for the day. He said Gazpacho was planning on making a nice lunch and that I could even stay for supper if I wanted to. Emmett was back in LA, so it would just be the three of us there. He also told me that he'd drive around town for a little while just to throw of anyone that would be following him, before he'd come get me. Edward also said that I might want to wear something that covered my face, such as a hoodie or a pair of sunglasses, because even though the press still didn't know where I lived quite yet, they were in the surrounding area and could easily be passing by.

For extra precautions I threw on a black hoodie and a large pair of black sunglasses to cover up my face. I wasn't taking any chances. Phil laughed at me when I walked out in the living room to get my bag.

"Going undercover Bella?" He teased, turning the page of the newspaper he was reading. The front page had some sort of headline about Edward and I in large, bold font.

"Basically. I know I look stupid, but Edward says this is what you do when you don't want your picture taken. Cover your face and hide."

"You look like some kind of secret agent or something. You're wearing all black."

I laughed slightly before I glanced up and saw Edward's car pulling in the drive. I issued out quick goodbyes to my mom and Phil before I walked out onto the front step.

Edward was sitting in the driver's seat wearing his own pair of large black sunglasses. He was looking around in all directions as if to check and make sure the coast was clear. He finally motioned to me to come to the car, so I ran over to the car and quickly jumped inside.

"Hello my love, please buckle up tight because I'm going to drive like a maniac."

True to his word, Edward pulled out of my driveway a little too fast for my liking. But I knew he was just trying to get out of there before someone recognized him. I didn't bother saying anything to him for a while because I wanted him to completely concentrate on driving. After a few minutes we were far enough away from my house that he figured it was safe enough to drive at the speed limit, and it was then that he spoke again.

"Sorry about that. I just wanted to get out of there in case we were being watched or something." He said, looking over at me with a smile.

"That's fine. I totally understand."

"You look...interesting." He said, his smile growing wider.

I laughed. "Yeah Phil told me I looked like some kind of secret agent."

"I could see that."

"Don't want to take any chances." I said, pushing a piece of hair underneath my hood.

"So I know this seems like a stupid question, but how have you been?" He asked me.

"Um, stressed, freaked out, exhausted, and just plain..."

"Overwhelmed?"

"Yeah that's a good way to describe it. Overwhelmed."

"I know the feeling."

I looked over at him. "Was it this bad for you when Love to Hate You Came out?"

He nodded. "In a way, yeah. I mean...gossip surrounding celebrity relationships is always a big deal. Enter a new relationship and it's a sure-fire way for people to be talking about you. So I guess this entire scenario is receiving more attention than the Love to Hate You thing did, just because I have some status now."

"Some status?"

"Ok, a lot of status." He said. "But I certainly understand the whole...you're just a normal person one day, then the next morning you wake up and you have instant fame. Trust me, it was even overwhelming to me at first and I was actually prepared for it. I think when anybody who's just an average person gets exposed to the world of fame it tends to overwhelm them at first."

"Well I am extremely overwhelmed."

He laughed a bit. "I'd tell you it's going to get better...but that wouldn't exactly be the truth. The hype surrounding this is going to remain for a while, with the show coming out in a couple weeks and all."

"Freaking fantastic." I mumbled, sinking down in my seat.

"Ah Bella, just imagine if you were with me in LA right now...you would think this kind of attention is nothing."

"As long as I'm with you it's going to be like this isn't it?"

"Yeah." He said, turning to look at me with a smile. "You shouldn't have fallen for me."

"I tried." I said, laughing a little. "You're just to darn perfect."

He obviously liked that, because his smile grew. "Now I am willing to help you through all of this. I know ways to avoid the press and the paparazzi. I can tell you how to handle different situations. Heck I could even loan you a few of my body guards if you want. If you need any advice concerning all of this, I'll help you, because I know what to do. Ok?"

I nodded my head. "Alright."

He seemed satisfied. "I'm gonna go ahead and tell you now since we are getting close to my house. There are about thirty to forty people with cameras hanging out along the perimeter of the yard. Security at my house is pretty tight right now, so my body guards are around to keep them from coming inside or anything. But they can obviously see me if I come outside, that's just a matter of fact. I know they saw me leave, which is why I drove around for so long in case they decided to follow me."

"There's almost forty people hanging out by your house with cameras?" I asked.

"You think that is bad, wait until you come visit me in LA. There's sometimes thousands of people outside the gate at my house."

"Wow." I whispered under my breath.

"What can I say...everyone loves me." He joked, before he continued what he was saying before. "So as I was saying, if I pull in the drive they are going to see me. Since they can see me, they'll also be able to see you. I know you have on the hoodie and sunglasses...but they are going to know I have someone in the car who is trying to hide and they are obviously going to figure it's you. So when we get closer to the house, I'm going to tell you to duck...so you're out of view. I've been parking my car more toward the back of the house recently...so I'll sneak you in there. Hopefully you'll go unnoticed and then you and I can just relax inside and forget about the outside world for a while."

"That would be nice." I said, wrapping my arms around my chest.

Edward turned to look behind him just as his cell phone started ringing. "Who is that?" He asked me.

I picked up his phone. "Oprah?" I said, wondering why he had Oprah's phone number.

"Just ignore it." He said, glancing up in his rear view mirror. "She probably just wants me and you to come on her show or something."

I did as he said and put his phone back in the cup holder. Only _Edward Cullen_ could ignore a phone call from _Oprah_.

"Why do you keep looking behind you?" I asked him, wrapping my arms back around my chest.

"I'm paranoid I guess. I just want to make sure we're not being followed by anyone."

"How do you handle this back in LA?"

"Well Bella, keep in mind that you and I have two different personalities. Besides, I love receiving tons of attention...it kind of goes along with being so full of myself."

I laughed. "Oh Edward."

"What?" He asked.

"You are so weird."

"Thanks my love, you too...you too." He said, before he pointed up ahead. "We're almost there. Go ahead and duck down just in case a few of them are straying away from the house."

His phone rang again as I crouched down in order to keep myself out of sight. He groaned after a while and picked up his phone, only to put it back in its spot. I remained quiet as we drove along and so did Edward. His phone proceeded to ring several more times but he didn't even bother to look at who was calling.

"We're approaching my house now." Edward said after a little while. "Just stay put where you are and ignore all of the flashing lights."

Seconds later I heard the shouts of several people exclaiming that Edward was back from his mystery location and many flashes of bright light soon followed their voices. It was kind of a frightening experience for me in a way. I was extremely relieved when the car stopped and Edward told me that we were at the back of the house now, and that we could go inside. We quickly crept in through the back door which lead into the kitchen where Gazpacho was slaving over something boiling on the stove.

"Hello Gazpacho." Edward called to him, yanking off his sunglasses.

"Welcome back Edward." He said in response, not taking his eyes off of whatever was on the stove. "Good morning Isabella."

"Good morning Gazpacho." I said, taking off my own sunglasses and unzipping my hooded sweatshirt.

"Bella and I are just going to go upstairs and hang out for a little while." Edward told Gazpacho, taking my hand to lead me into the living room.

Gazpacho raised an eyebrow at Edward.

"Oh please Gazpacho, you know I'm not like that."

"I know, I know...doesn't mean you can't change."

"Goodbye Gazpacho." Edward called back to him as we walked out into the living room. He was obviously trying to avoid having an awkward conversation with him.

After walking up several flights of stairs we finally made it into Edward's room. It was darker in there than usual because he had all of the curtains closed.

"Finally, we are alone together." He said, before he walked over to me and pressed his lips tightly against mine.

Maybe over time I could get used to all of the fame and the attention, but I was never going to be able to get used to Edward and I being together. Every time I kissed him it felt like I was kissing him for the first time.

I tangled my hands up in his hair and responded back to his kiss. As we kissed I frequently found myself sighing as a sign of being content, and this seemed to make Edward's kisses even more passionate. We probably kept kissing for several more minutes before we gathered up the strength to pull away.

"That has to be the most amazing feeling in the world." I said, as he planted another soft kiss on my lips.

"What has to be the most amazing feeling in the world?"

"Kissing you."

"I would agree. It's pretty amazing to kiss you." He gently caressed my cheek. "Come on, I want to show you something."

"What is it?" I asked as he walked away from me and into one of the other rooms.

"I was thinking the other day about the fact that we don't have a senior trip planned yet."

"Natasha thought maybe the entire class could go out to the campground for a weekend or something." I said, taking a seat on the edge of his bed.

He reappeared with a stack of papers in his hand. "Yeah, that's about the dumbest thing I've ever heard." He said, sitting down beside me. "I have a plan."

"You are going to plan our senior trip? Why?"

"I just want everyone to really remember this year. I know that I wanted to enjoy my senior year, so I want to help everyone else do the same. I could put together the best senior trip any class has ever experienced."

"What do you have in mind?" I asked him. Knowing Edward, he probably had gone way over-the-top with his plans.

"Ok we graduate on the fourth of June...right?"

"Right."

"So here's how I've planned this out." He said, looking at one of the pieces of paper. "I have made the arrangements to rent a cruise ship for about a week. We will have the entire thing to ourselves from the eighth to the fifteenth. I'm paying to fly everyone down to Florida on the seventh and to fly us out on the sixteenth."

"You just had to do something extravagant...didn't you?"

"Yeah...well I'm pretty much a big deal."

"Ugh, you are pretty much a big dumb butt...that's what you are."

He laughed. "That way I can throw a huge graduation party for you and I the weekend after graduation. Since we get back on the sixteenth it gives me just enough time to throw my nineteenth birthday party before I can start packing for my return to LA."

"What are we going to do on the cruise ship?"

"I'm going to plan a lot of activities that can be going on during the day, like basketball tournaments and such. There's also a pool, an arcade, and even some shops on the ship. Gazpacho's coming and he's going to cook all of the meals. At night I'll always host some kind of party that will be treated kind of like a dance. Each night will have a different theme and some will be more casual than others."

"I think everyone's really going to like this idea."

"I thought so too." He said, getting up to put his papers over on the table beside his bed. He sat back down more toward the head of the bed, so I moved up to join him. "Emmett wants to come along too, so I told him he could."

"That ought to be interesting."

"Yes it should be." He said, wrapping his arm around me. "I think I'm going to let people chose their own room mates as long as your room mate is of the same gender. Not like that's going to stop people from doing things they shouldn't...but at least it looks good for the parents."

"Is there any chance I could have two room mates? Because I know Haley and Natasha would have a fit if the three of us can't be together."

"There's two rooms on one of the upper floors that are decent in size, suitable enough for three people. I figured I'd take one and the three of you could take the room across the hall."

"You think of everything don't you?"

"Pretty much." He said, smiling at me.

"So are you still planning on leaving for LA shortly after your birthday?"

"Well...maybe not. I figured I could stay around here for a little bit longer. LA doesn't need me that bad. Besides, between all of this stuff that's going on and the reality show, I've been in the public eye plenty. I just really miss being on a movie set, that's all."

"Do I know the reason why you think you want to stay in Phoenix a little longer?"

"You should." He said, kissing the top of my forehead.

I sighed. "Edward I really don't want to keep you from going back to LA. You really miss it there."

"What's a few more weeks here in Phoenix? It's no big deal, don't worry Bella."

"It just makes me feel bad."

"You have no reason to feel bad. It is my decision to make and I have decided that I want to stay in Phoenix just a little while longer."

"Fine, if that's what you want."

"It is." He said, smiling in satisfaction.

"I still want to find the time to go up to Forks this summer. Maybe I can do that after your birthday."

"That would be a good idea. I think you should go back to Forks and see your dad for a week or so."

"Haley and Natasha want to come with me if I go. Haley's been there several times but Natasha never has. She wants to meet my dad and everyone else in town."

"The three of you would have fun together."

"Yeah, but I told them that I might stay up there for a few days by myself and then they could come join me, just because I think they'd get bored if they had to spend an entire week there."

"Forks isn't exactly the most entertaining place on the face of the Earth."

"No, not exactly." I said, laughing a little as I thought about the town my father was so attached too.

"You know I wouldn't really mind staying in Forks with you for a little while. Even though your dad does glare daggers into my back every time he sees me."

I laughed even more. The summer before sophomore year I had flown up to Forks to spend three weeks with my dad. Edward had caught word of this and since he was actually sixteen at the time he drove all the way to my dad's house in Forks just so he could pester me for those three weeks. He did stay in a hotel instead of at our house, but he was over all the time. Dad didn't exactly like Edward, just because my mom had told him plenty of stories about how Edward had tortured me over the years. My dad also didn't like the fact that there was somebody of the male gender, besides Jacob of course, following me around the house while he was at work. Dad was worried that Edward was going to try something with me, which I assured him that he wouldn't. Needless to say that wasn't a very enjoyable three weeks of vacation.

"Maybe dad will like you more now that you're a bit more mature."

"Oh please Bella. Now I'm your boyfriend. He has more reason to hate me for that than to hate me for being rude to you."

"You do have a point." I said, resting my head on his chest. "If you seriously want to come up to Forks with Haley and Natasha then have at it. I really don't care."

"I'll have to think about it, but I think that would be an interesting experience."

"You just want to protect me from Jacob."

"Ha, I'm not afraid of Jacob. He's just some kid with a crush on you. Brandon's more dangerous than that."

"I wouldn't underestimate Jake." I said, tracing my fingers along the buttons on Edward's dress shirt. "He is the chosen one after all."

"The chosen one?"

"You know my dad would marry Jake off to me in a heartbeat. He's like a son to him already."

"Well your dad will have to deal with me instead."

"He'll be thrilled."

"He'll probably want to shoot me."

"I truthfully wouldn't doubt it." I said, and we both laughed.

After we finished laughing it was quiet for a moment and the two of us just looked straight ahead at the TV Edward had turned on.

"Edward." Gazpacho's voice called from somewhere downstairs. "Why is it so quiet upstairs?"

Edward laughed and I felt my face turning bright red. "No reason Gazpacho. Bella and I are just watching TV together."

"That's the oldest excuse in the book." Gazpacho said. "Don't make me come up there and man slap you."

"That won't be necessary Gazpacho, thank you."

"It better not be necessary." Gazpacho mumbled, his voice growing quieter.

"Sorry." Edward said, as he brushed a piece of hair out of my face.

"It's fine. He's just checking up on you and making sure that you're being a good boy."

"Out of the three of us kids he should know that I'm the most innocent when it comes to participating in naughty activities."

"Oh please Edward...you can't just say out of Emmett, Alice, and I, Gazpacho knows that I'm the only one that is still a vir..."

"Shush!" He said, covering my mouth with his hand. "The paparazzi might hear you."

I laughed. "So you're all about making the public think that you're a good boy and you want to be a proper role model to teens, but yet you don't want to let the world know you're a vir..."

"Bella sweetheart." He said, covering my mouth again. "They have ears like bats."

I laughed even more. "Edward you are beyond messed up."

"It's kind of embarrassing in a way."

"How so? I thought you said that you were proud of it."

"Well I am. But you know these days that practically everyone participates in premarital sex. You're almost considered not cool if you don't. And just like you, most of the world is under the impression that I'm the same way. It takes a lot of explaining to convince them otherwise. If they did know the truth I'd probably loose fans because they think I'm stupid for making that decision. However I'm not going to encourage people to have a bunch of random hook-ups you know? So they can think that I've been with one or two women, whatever. But I don't want them to be under the impression that meaningless one night stands are ok. It doesn't matter how good of a role model I am, I can't make the entire world save themselves until after marriage."

"You do have a point there." I said. "But I don't get what's so bad about letting people know that you are actually a vir..."

"Bella for goodness sakes my love." He said covering my mouth again. He laughed a little as his voice reached a slight whisper. "I think we all get the fact that I am a freaking virgin. Do we really need to keep repeating it in such a loud voice?"

He moved his hand so that I could speak. "Well I can't repeat it because you won't even let me say it to begin with."

"Maybe that's what is best." He said, smiling at me.

"Ugh, I'm not even going to bother arguing with you anymore."

"Why not?"

"You're just too hot." I said leaning up to press my lips against his.

"How hot?" He asked in between kissing me.

"Really hot." I said, as his lips crushed fiercely against my own.

We didn't bother talking after that, we just kept kissing. As always each kiss grew in intensity and the more we kissed the closer we wanted to get to one another. My heartbeat increased rapidly and even though my lungs felt like they were burning from a lack of oxygen I just couldn't stop. I still felt as though if I stopped kissing Edward that I would wake up and find out this was all a dream, so that's why I just didn't let go.

I felt Edward pull me down beside him and suddenly became aware that we were laying down in his bed. Random pillows started to hit the floor as I continued to tangle myself further into Edward's grasp. His hands tightly held me around the waist, while I allowed my hands to explore...usually to find them messing with Edward's hair. If he had sex hair before, it was going to be full of extra sex when I was done with him.

Due to being so involved in kissing him, I didn't notice that Edward had started to push my shirt up ever so slightly. A small portion of my stomach was now exposed, but I truthfully didn't care. Things were getting steamier by the second and I was really enjoying it.

In the midst of our extremely captivating kisses, I traced my fingers along the sides of Edward's neck until I found the collar of his shirt. I then let my fingers trace along the part of his chest that was already exposed from him keeping the top two buttons undone. I was sort of unsure of exactly how to go about this, since I had never really been in such a passionate situation before, but after a little bit of fumbling around I finally managed to get the third button undone on his shirt. As soon as I did so however, Edward instantly froze and stopped kissing me.

"What's wrong?" I asked, gasping for air after each word.

"Bella." He said, his voice barely reaching a whisper. He too seemed like he was finding it hard to breathe.

"Yes?"

"What the heck are you trying to do?"

"Take off your shirt...why?"

"Don't you think that isn't a very good idea?"

"No I think it's a extremely good idea." I said, reaching forward to unbutton the next button on his shirt.

"Bella for goodness sakes you had your first kiss four days ago! Now you're wanting to undress me."

"Oh I've always wanted to undress you." I said, feeling satisfied as the fourth button came undone. I didn't know exactly where all of this was coming from, but it felt right.

"Although I cannot blame you for wanting to do so, don't you think this is a little soon?"

"No I guess I don't."

"I mean trust me. I am thoroughly enjoying this experience, but what are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking you're pretty darn sexy, that's what I'm thinking."

"I know that." He said, watching me as I managed to unbutton yet another button on his shirt. "But why rush things so soon?"

"Edward we have over fifteen years worth of feelings for one another built up inside of us. Now they've been released and it's like everything's just exploded. Those feelings are so desperate to do the things they wanted to do years ago."

"I sure hope you didn't want to strip me when you were ten years old."

I laughed. "Well I wouldn't go that far."

"I just don't think this is a good idea Bella. That's all."

"Didn't you tell me that you'd consider it if you knew the girl was the one you'd end up marrying someday?"

He was quiet for a very long time before he answered me. "Yes I said that."

"You are apparently under the impression that girl is me."

"Yes, but wait." He said. "Bella you are not implying that we sleep together right now...are you?"

"Well no we don't have to right _now_. I'm just adding a little spice to our kiss, that's all."

"By trying to take off my clothes?"

"Edward for heaven's sake it's your freaking shirt! It's not like I'm asking you to do a strip tease for me. It's not the end of the world. My taking off your shirt is not going to take away your virginity!"

"Bella." He said, rather loud. He then laughed at his own outburst. "I know that."

"Then what's the problem?"

"Truthfully...I don't know." He said, before returning back to kissing me once more.

Things picked up the pace pretty fast after that. I felt him push my shirt up even higher and I figured that basically my entire stomach was exposed by now. Much to my pleasure I succeeded in taking off Edward's shirt without any more protests from him. I allowed my hands to run all over his bare chest in order to inspect every inch of it. His grip on my waist grew tighter, our legs became tangled together, and I'm sure his hair looked like a huge mess from having my hands tugging at it all the time. Then I felt a chill go through my entire body as I felt Edward push my shirt up almost all the way over my head. I started to try and help him by shrugging out of it when we suddenly heard a loud yell from downstairs.

"That's it...it's too quiet up there. I'm going to see what's going on!"Gazpacho yelled, interrupting our fun.

"Shi.."Edward proceeded to say before I covered _his_ mouth this time.

"Edward not only are you going to get man slapped for rolling around in bed with me, but you're gonna get man slapped for swearing too."

He nodded, before he quickly jumped off of the bed, looking as though he was searching for something.

"What are you looking for?" I asked him, sitting up on the bed in confusion. I think anyone would be confused after going through something like that.

"My belt." He said, picking a shiny object up off of the floor.

"When did I take your belt off?" I asked him.

"You didn't." He said, crawling back into the bed as he started throwing pillows onto the floor. "I did."

I laughed at him as pillows flew across the room.

"Bella." He called frantically, throwing pillows all over the floor as if he was desperately searching for something else.

"What Edward?" I replied back, realizing I still needed to pull my shirt back down. I did so awkwardly, watching Edward continue to throw pillows all over the place.

"Where is my shirt? I can't find it anywhere. If Gazpacho sees me in bed, with you, without a shirt on...he's going to think things."

I started throwing pillows off the bed as well in an effort to help him. "Oh come on Edward. Even if he took the elevator there's no way he could get up here that fast."

"Wanna bet?" Edward said, finally pulling his black dress shirt out from it's hiding place under the covers.

As if on cue, I heard the elevator down the hall ding, and Gazpacho's voice was heard proclaiming how he was going to give Edward a piece of his mind if he was fooling around with me in his room.

I giggled a little as Edward attempted to get his shirt on before Gazpacho opened the door.

"Edward...Isabella." Gazpacho's voice called as the door slowly opened. "What have you two been up to in here?"

"Nothing Gazpacho." Edward said, sitting up just in time. "Still just watching TV together."

Gazpacho walked into the room and noticed all of the pillows scattered on the floor. "Why did you throw your nice pillows all over the floor?"

"We were having a little pillow fight, no biggy." Edward said, smiling innocently.

"Pillow fight." Gazpacho said, sounding unsure. "It was pretty quiet up here for a while."

"I'm on TV. I'm quite interesting."

"No denying that." He said, searching my face for any signs of what was going on. I just decided not to talk. Leave the lying to the world's greatest actor.

"So see Gazpacho...we're not up to anything. No need to worry. Go ahead and go downstairs."

"Alright. The bread does need checked on." Gazpacho said, turning toward the door. "Oh and by the way Edward."

"Yes Gazpacho?"

"Your shirt is on backwards." He said, before walking out into the hallway.

I turned to look at Edward for the first time and noticed that he had his black dress shirt on completely backwards.

"Am I stupid or what?" He said, in between his laughter.

I was laughing hysterically, so I didn't say anything to him.

"I just knew I had to find it and get it on before Gazpacho came in. I guess I didn't think about putting it on the right way."

"Yeah try acting your way around why your shirt's on backwards." I said, still laughing some.

"That's a pretty hard thing to do, even for me." He said, taking his shirt off so that he could put it back on correctly.

I was still laughing at him. "Wow, just wow."

"Bella I swear you will kill every ounce of innocence I have."

"What are you saying?" I asked him, helping him straighten out the collar on his shirt.

"I'm saying that if you keep pulling stunts like this...I'm going to crack."

I laughed mischievously in response.

"The scary thing is that you find enjoyment in that."

"I do."

He shook his head. "I can tell you one thing though."

"What?"

"I will forever remain the way I am if Gazpacho keeps interfering."

"Oh you mean you will forever be a vir..."I said, before he kissed me in a means to make me be quiet.

"Just shut up Bella." He joked, kissing me again.

"Fine, fine, fine. Whatever you say."

"Thank you."

"Virgin!"

"Bella Swan." He said, looking at me with his intoxicating crooked smile.

"Yes Edward?" I asked, turning on my innocent act now.

"You...I...ugh. Just kiss me." He said, kissing my lips tenderly.

I may have had a slight problem with the fact that I couldn't walk out of the house without disguising myself to look like a secret agent. I may have had a problem with the overwhelming amount of attention I was suddenly receiving. I may have had a problem with forty people hanging out by Edward's house, waiting to take my picture. I may have had a problem with needing to sneak around to remain unnoticed. But it was all worth it in the end.

Because I certainly did not have a problem with getting a _little_ naughty with Edward.

* * *

**Is it hot in here or is it just Edward? Lol. Now I know it does seem like really soon for the two of them to be doing the things they were, but hey...they've been in love forever! **

**I am stoked for the next chapter. One word. PROM! Prepare for gorgeous dresses (and Haley's dress is feathery...and awesome!), Edward in a tux, romance/sweetness, Denver being a goofball, Brandon and his usual Brandoness, Natasha and her obsessivness over school functions, and most importantly Edward! Yea! Lol**

**I hope you guys all liked this chapter. Cool down, drink a glass of water, and take a cold shower. :)**

**Thanks for reading! You guys are amazing!**

**~Hazl~  
**


End file.
